


The Scientist and the Sorceror

by mewgirl1995



Series: The Future of Humans and Monsters [3]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Attempt at Diplomacy, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Female Frisk, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Violence, Miscommunication, Physical Abuse, Sorcerers, Time Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-10-12 14:48:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10493208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mewgirl1995/pseuds/mewgirl1995
Summary: The one with the power to SAVE, LOAD, and RESET is tasked with guarding Mt. Ebott. In the years since monsters were first trapped underground, none of those sorcerers ever made contact with them, until Moxie does.Prequel to Up Into Sunlight, focuses on Frisk's mother, Moxie.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting on my computer for a while now and I wasn't sure if I wanted to post it, but I figured since I already wrote it I might as well put it out there. Enjoy.

The sun warmed the mountain. Drops of dew glittered in the early morning light. A dark skinned woman marched off towards the forest that surrounded the base of Mt. Ebott. She turned a corner and patrolled the mountain for a while before setting up her tent by the river. Her twenty-fifth birthday had just passed and it was time for her to start her real purpose. Moxie sat by the river and watched it flow, letting her hand drift in the cool water. She had been entrusted with guarding the Barrier to the Underground. Deep under Mt. Ebott was a group of monsters that had once threatened the world. Due to the hard work of the Sorcerer’s Guild all of the dangerous monsters had been sealed underground. It was thus the seventh sorcerer’s job to ensure they remained there as they possessed the most powerful determination of all. Moxie’s watch had just begun.  

Deep underneath the mountain, three monsters trudged through the water of the garbage dump. One taller skeleton in a lab coat strode in front. He held a small robot in his hands. His assistants, also dressed in lab coats, walked behind him. “Do you think this will really work?” The lizard monster named Alphys asked. “Oh, I can’t wait! This will be so cool! We’re all going to be heroes if we can find a way out!”  

“eh as long as they don’t make too big a deal out of it,” The other assistant, a smaller skeleton named Sans, said. “what do you think gaster?”  

Gaster glanced back and smiled at them. He handed the robot to the lizard monster and signed, “ _It would be nice. We should focus on the work before planning for the future.”_ As they approached the largest waterfall at the garbage dump, the three of them stared upwards. Nervously, Alphys stepped forward and held out the robot while Gaster worked the controller and forced in up through the water. Both Sans and Alphys stared at the small screen on the controller. For several minutes all they could see was water. Then, the robot seemed to go into a bright light. A few minutes later they could see the fuzzy blue sky and green trees.  

“No way!” Alphys exclaimed. “Is that the Surface?” The picture quality was terrible, but she leaped around in excitement anyway. “We did it!” She grabbed Sans’ hands and whirled him around, cheering and whooping. He sighed and gave into her antics. Gaster smiled and stared down at the screen, steering the robot toward the trees.  

A few lazy clouds drifted by as Moxie laid in the grass. Smiling, she let out a content sigh. In a way, she had the easiest job of all Council members. There had never been any disturbances at the Barrier and there would likely never be any. All of a sudden a robot whizzed by her face. Startled, Moxie leaped up. The robot turned back and focused a small camera on her. “What the hell?” She asked, startled. The small camera focused in and out on her.  

Gaster stared at the screen. The blurry shape of a human stood in front of the robot. Shocked, he gestured at Sans and Alphys to show them. It had been a long time since he had seen a human. Cringing, Gaster shook his head. He’d rather forget that he had ever seen them, had ever met them. Before he could get their attention, the human summoned a sword using magic and smashed the robot to pieces. Gaster’s eyes widened in shock. He felt sick. The human was a sorcerer. There was a sorcerer camped right outside the Barrier. “What’s wrong?” Alphys asked and peeked at the screen. “What happened?!” 

Gaster paused and tried to think of a suitable lie. After a few moments, he quickly signed, “ _Going through the Barrier drained its battery. It died._ ” There was no need to worry his assistants.  

“so we need to make a bigger battery,” Sans said with a shrug. “no problem. rust in peace old robot.” 

“We should get working on it right away!” Alphys said. Together she and Sans rushed back to the lab, leaving Gaster behind. He sighed and stared at the screen.  

Leaning down, Moxie picked up the remains of the robot. She turned it over in her hands. It had been built quite well, better than any human technology she had ever seen. Irritated, she glanced around the river. How had the monsters managed it? Nothing should have been able to get through the Barrier. There must have been a break somewhere. She walked over to where the river entered the mountain. “Stupid piece of junk,” She said, tossing the broken robot into the river. She watched as it got sucked into the mountain and narrowed her eyes. Could the river be the location of the break?  

After a few moments, the destroyed robot landed at Gaster’s feet. He picked it up and then tossed it down deeper in the abyss. He could not bear to tell Alphys and Sans the truth. Perhaps if the robot was destroyed again, they would just give up. Knowing that the Sorcerer’s Guild still existed worried Gaster. There was no way the monsters could defeat them. Gaster stared up at the water pouring in through the ceiling. Over the course of the next few days, Alphys and Sans worked to build a larger battery while Gaster built a much smaller robot that could only carry a note. He tucked the note inside the robot and sent it up to the Surface one evening when Alphys and Sans had gone home.  

Stars lit up the sky as Moxie sat by the river, monitoring for any more rogue robots. As she sat there she heard the quiet buzzing of a robot. It popped out of the water and landed on the grass, unmoving. Her sword appeared and she poked at it. A panel popped open, causing Moxie to leap backward. Staring at the robot with an apprehensive look, she walked over and removed a piece of paper. Words were written on it in a language Moxie did not understand or recognize. Frowning, she grabbed the robot as well and took both of them back to the tent she had set up. She pulled out a book on various languages and flipped through it until she found one that matched. It took almost an hour for her to translate the note.  

It said, “ _Please don’t destroy my robots. Dr. W. D. Gaster._ ” Moxie rolled her eyes and scrawled another note before shoving it into the robot and marching back over to the river. She tossed the robot into the river and sat back down with her sword laying across her lap. 

The robot fell down at Gaster’s feet after an hour and a half. He picked it up and examined it. The panel popped open and saw that the human had written a note back. Gaster opened up the note and read it.  

It said, “ _I will not. Stop making robots to send up here._ ” 

Pulling a notepad out of his lab coat, Gaster tucked the note into his pocket. He wrote another note and sent it up.  

When the robot returned Moxie glared at it and snatched the new note out. She took the language book with her as she went back to the river. This time she translated it much faster. “ _Perhaps I can tell you why I am sending robots to the Surface and then you will let them stay? Dr. W. D. Gaster._ ”  

Moxie wrote a reply note and tossed the robot back into the stream, shaking her head. That monster must have taken her for a fool. Obviously, the robots were some attempt to escape and she couldn’t allow that.  

Gaster opened the compartment and read the new note. “ _We won’t be able to make a compromise monster,_ ” It said. 

When the robot returned again, Moxie snapped one of its wings off before reading the new note. “ _My research involves a way to get past the Barrier. I promise we are no threat. Dr. W. D. Gaster,_ ” It said. Moxie’s eyes widened. That monster must have been stupid to think admitting it was trying to escape was the best way to get her to let the robots through. She wrote a reply note and put it in the robot’s compartment.  

When the robot returned with a broken wing, Gaster sighed. He opened up the compartment and read the new note.  

It said, “ _You are staying trapped there!_ ” Gaster picked up the broken robot and headed back to his lab, considering what steps he had to take next. He put the notes in his safe and set about fixing the robot. When Gaster returned the next night, he sent the robot back up with another note.    

When the little robot returned the following night, Moxie jumped in surprise. She glared at the robot as she opened it and removed the note. Experience had allowed her to translate them much faster. “ _Perhaps we can cooperate_ ,” The note said. “ _I can tell you information about monsters that your books likely do not contain. Dr. W. D. Gaster._ ” Moxie rolled her eyes and quickly scribbled another note before snapping off the wing again and tossing the robot back into the current.  

When the robot returned broken, Gaster sighed. He picked it up and read the note tucked inside, “ _Forget it._ ” Shaking his head, Gaster turned to return to the lab. The human would be difficult to convince, but he had to keep trying. If he succeeded in communicating with her, the monsters would be much more prepared to leave the Underground. Perhaps he could even befriend her. He clenched his hands. Even if he did, it would never make up for the past. He needed to approach the subject with an entirely scientific point of view. Things had probably changed on the Surface and they would need as much help as they could get. At the same time, Gaster did not want to worry Sans and Alphys. Most of the monsters had hoped the Sorcerer’s Guild had died off after they sealed away the monsters. After all, they were so scared of their own magic, they tended to only use it in combat and they had eliminated the only possible threat to them. That seemed to not be the case.  

As Moxie scrawled notes about the monster robots in her journal, she sighed. The job was supposed to be easy and now she had to deal with a possible attempt at escape. Moxie knew that it was impossible for the monsters to get through the Barrier. Their magic could never be strong enough, but it seemed as though the Barrier allowed inanimate objects out. Moxie snapped her journal shut and stood up and stretched. She began her patrol around the mountain again, cloak fluttering at her heels. She spent the day chasing away curious children and did not see any other possible threats.  

“ready to go,” Sans said, holding out the new robot he and Alphys had put together. Alphys took it and activated it, sending it up into the water. Gaster watched the screen on the controller that Sans held, rubbing his hand with his thumb in a nervous manner. “this thing should make it.”  

“ _I am sure you two did a very good job,_ ” Gaster signed to Sans and Alphys. “ _After all, you are brilliant._ ” Both of his assistants blushed and shook their heads. The robot burst through the water and they all saw the brilliance of the fuzzy green trees again. Feeling anxious, Gaster watched for the human, but she seemed to not be around.  

“Wow,” Alphys said. “It’s just like in those anime films I found!”  

“you’re still watching those?” Sans asked, shooting her a confused look. “they’re trash.”  

“Excuse you!” Alphys said, crossing her arms. “They’re really good. You should watch some!” 

“if they weren’t trash,” Sans said with a shrug. “why would the humans throw them away?” Alphys paused, tried to think of a reply, and then frowned. “exactly.”  

All of a sudden the screen fizzled out and went black. Surprised, Alphys and Sans stared at it. “What?” Alphys said with a disappointed tone. Sans fiddled with the controls, but nothing happened.  

“ _Perhaps it was still not strong enough,_ ” Gaster signed, frowning. What had destroyed the robot? He had not seen anything attack the machine this time.  

“onto plan b,” Sans said with a shrug. He tossed the monitor to Alphys “maybe we’ll get to spend less time in this dump.” Frustrated, Alphys tucked the monitor into her lab coat and followed Sans as he walked away. Gaster followed them after glancing back at the rushing water with a confused look.  

The arrow hit the robot dead on. Moxie grinned as she walked over to destroyed machine. She had always wanted to practice her archery skills, even though she tended to favor her sword. She picked up the robot and examined it. Unlike the last few robots, it did not have a panel for keeping notes. Instead, it looked more similar to the first robot and had a camera on the front. Moxie turned the machine over in her hands and found a small inscription on the bottom. It read, “ _Property of Dr. W. D. Gaster,_ Alphys _, and Sans._ ” in three different handwritings. 

Another robot came with another note the next day. It read, “ _Was it your doing that the second robot broke? Dr. W. D. Gaster._ ”  

Moxie scribbled a reply and tossed the robot back down into the river. 

The returning note lacked any sort of friendliness. Gaster read it, frowning. “ _Stop writing me!_ ” The note said. He wrote a reply. 

The robot came back from the river almost right after Moxie wrote her note. Moxie glared at it. She grabbed the note from it and read it, “ _You must be quite powerful to be put in charge of guarding the Barrier. Is it just you there? Dr. W. D. Gaster._ ” 

“ _Flattery will get you nowhere_ ,” Moxie’s reply note said. 

“ _So is my assumption correct?_ You are _the only sorcerer there? Dr. W. D. Gaster._ ” Gaster wrote back.  

Gritting her teeth, Moxie glared at the robot. “ _You don’t need to sign your name on every single note!_ ” Her reply said.  

“ _Perhaps you could sign your name just once._ ” 

“ _Forget it!_ ”  

“ _I would greatly like to be associates,_ ” The next note said. “ _I think we could learn much from each other._ ” Moxie destroyed the robot and threw it back into the river, not bothering to write a response.  

Persistence had not worked so far. Gaster picked up the robot and headed home. There would be another time to try. He concluded. All he had to do was figure out what might interest the human enough to get her to cooperate. They needed more knowledge of the Surface before they broke the Barrier.  


	2. Chapter 2

When another robot returned, Moxie grudgingly continued the note writing practice with the monster. It questioned her about the state of the Surface and she continued to refuse to answer any questions. As she washed her clothes in the river one morning the robot appeared with a larger bundle of something. Moxie glanced at it and then carefully unwrapped it. Nestled inside were what appeared to be cinnamon buns shaped like rabbits. The accompanying note said, “ _A gift. These were baked this morning. I hope they do not get soggy in the travel._ ” Moxie frowned. Could they have been poisoned? She hesitantly picked one up. She had just SAVED that morning, so she might as well try one. Her eyes widened as she took a bite.  

“These are so good!” She exclaimed to no one in particular. The Sorcerer’s Guild very rarely had sweets and even those were nothing like the monster food. Moxie felt her hand tingle slightly and she glanced down to see the spot she had cut on a rose bush earlier that morning heal. “Huh, they can heal you?” Moxie took another bite of the dessert. “Interesting.” She scrawled a note to the monster and tucked it into the robot.  

The robot returned without the Cinnamon Bunnies. Hopeful, Gaster opened the note. It just said, “ _Good._ ” With an irritated sigh, Gaster wrote back another note.  

“ _Will you tell me your name at least?_ ” The note from Gaster said. “ _I understand your curt tone, but it is vague to continually refer to you as the human in my journal._ ” Moxie rolled her eyes. She ate another Cinnamon Bunny as she wrote back. By now, Moxie had learned to translate the weird language almost perfectly.  

“ _Why does it matter?_ ” The sorcerer wrote back.  

“ _I believe telling each other your name is common courtesy,_ ” Gaster replied.  

“ _No._ ”  

Before Gaster could write a reply, he heard someone coming. He quickly hid the small robot in his lab coat. “Hey Dr. Gaster,” Alphys said. She held a pile of abandoned DVDs. Gaster sent her a kind smile. “Oh these, uh, I was collecting them for research of course. We don’t know much about humans and these probably reflect some history right?”  

“ _I highly doubt that,_ ” Gaster signed, shaking his head. “ _Though, I suppose it does not hurt to watch them._ ”  

“What are you doing here?” Alphys asked, changing the subject. “You’re not working already are you?”  

Gaster pondered the question for a moment before replying, “ _I woke up early. I thought I would see if I could find anything useful here._ ” Alphys nodded. “ _Shall we head to the lab?_ ” Gaster gestured toward the exit of the garbage dump. 

“Sure,” Alphys said. “I was working really hard on the programs for the determination detector. Maybe we’ll be able to test it out here soon? I know we planned to put it on the robot but I guess that’s a bit of a failure?” Gaster nodded, unsure of what to say. “But this time we’ll get something up and working!”  

Progress on studying determination had stalled. The small extracts from the six human SOULs had revealed that some monsters possessed some determination magic, but it was much weaker than humans. After all, determination allowed SOULs to persist after death, a key feature of human SOULs. As they walked, Gaster signed to Alphys, “ _We need to get a more functional DT detector up and running. The one we have built to analyze the SOULs and scan human items here is not good enough. Overall, it is impractical. We need to be able to study a larger area._ ” Alphys nodded. “ _Also, I want to begin work on creating a synthetic SOUL._ ”  

“Wh-What?” Alphys said, surprised.  

Gaster nodded. He had been considering the idea for a while. “ _Through the collection of determination samples we can create one, I believe. Our current detector shows that the magic is ever present in our world. We just need to harness the power._ ”   

“Do you think it’s really possible?” Alphys said. “Is it really just determination that creates a SOUL’s power?” Gaster shrugged.  

“ _Perhaps,_ ” He signed back to her. “ _Perhaps not. It is worth a try. Although, it does seem that the determination that persists in the world gives off a slightly different signal than the determination present in human and some monster SOULs._ ”  

For a moment, Alphys fell quiet. Then she asked, “Could we really escape from here?” 

Gaster looked back at Alphys and nodded. “ _We will._ ”  

When they returned to the lab, Gaster began to sketch out the blueprints for the new detector. It would be quite large. He frowned at it. Placing it in the current lab would be possible, but he would rather use the space for something else. Also, the Hotland lab’s location sat more towards the end of the Underground. It might be better to position it somewhere more useful. The door to the lab opened and Gaster glanced back to see Sans enter. “hey gaster,” He said, waving. “what’s up?”  

Excited, Gaster turned to him. “ _You live in Snowdin correct?_ ” He signed. When Sans nodded, Gaster launched into an explanation of the new DT detector. “ _Perhaps we could build it in your basement? That would not be too much trouble right?_ ” Sans shook his head. “ _Excellent! We should begin work right away._ ” He waved at Alphys to get her attention and then told her, “ _Alphys lets begin building some components to take over there! Sans, come here and look at the blueprint. You can help me with the final preparations._ ” Gaster stared at the plan with a huge smile. It was their key out. They would collect the determination magic and finally escape the Underground.  

“uh, we’ll keep the lab a secret right?” Sans said. “i guess as much as we can?” Gaster glanced over with a confused look.  

“ _If that is what you want,_ ” Gaster signed. _“I still do not understand why you go to such lengths to maintain the ruse that you are just a Royal Guard sentry._ ” Sans just shrugged in reply. Gaster stared at the blueprints again. He drew a couple of small changes and then pushed them over to Sans, who examined the blueprint with an analytical look.  

The town of Ebott had grown a little over the years. Moxie hated going into town. Most of the people still recognized the Sorcerer’s Rune on her cloak and would whisper amongst themselves. Moxie ignored their stares as she went to the grocery store to buy provisions. As Moxie debated between getting eggs since she did not have a refrigerator, a small child approached her.  

“Are you really a sorcerer?” The child asked with wide eyes.  

Moxie glanced at her with an annoyed look. “Yes,” She said. 

“That’s so cool!” The little girl exclaimed. “Can you do really cool magic?”  

“Magic is not a toy or a sideshow,” Moxie said, repeating words that Chancellor had told her almost two decades earlier. The child’s face fell and she frowned. Feeling a bit guilty, Moxie continued, “It’s very dangerous. It’s not like in the storybooks.” That seemed to just make it worse. The child sadly nodded and kicked at the ground.  

“Are there actually monsters?” She asked next. 

“Yes,” Moxie said. She decided to get the eggs and put them in her basket. “But there is no reason to fear them, they are all safely locked away.”  

“And you make sure they stay locked away?” The child asked. Moxie nodded. “Have you ever met a monster?” Moxie turned and stared at the child.  

“Not really,” She said. “I suppose I’ve talked with one. It is very annoying.”  

“Annoying?” The child asked. “Is it scary?”  

Moxie scoffed at the question. “No,” She said, rolling her eyes. “It is the least scary thing I have ever met. All it wants to do is learn about humans and determination and other stupid things it shouldn’t bother to care about.” The child pondered that for a moment.  

Before Moxie could walk away, the child grabbed her cloak and tugged. “If they’re not scary, then why are they locked away?” The sorcerer stared at the child with a shocked expression. “Maybe we could all be friends?”  

“Absolutely not!” Moxie yelled at the child who leaped backward. Tears welled up in her eyes. Embarrassed, Moxie leaned down and sternly told her. “Monsters are not like us. We cannot be friends with them.” Then before the child began to cry, Moxie walked away.  

During the whole walk back to Mt. Ebott, Moxie considered the child’s questions. The child could not be correct. Monsters had always been dangerous. After all, they could take a human’s SOUL and become invincible dangerous beasts. Then again, even in all of the history books back at Alcastle, there was never one clear incident of that happening. Irritated, Moxie shook the thought from her head. She had learned all her life about the dangers of monsters. She had no reason to begin doubting what she had been taught.  

Once Moxie had returned to her tent, she put away the groceries and went by the river to see if any robots had come through. One sat on the grass, as though it had been waiting for her return. Moxie rolled her eyes and picked it up to read the note. As she unfolded it, something fell out. Confused, Moxie gently picked it up. It was a picture. She examined it with curiosity. Monsters had been sealed away before humans had invented cameras, so she had only seen drawings of the creatures. One tall skeleton stood in the center with his hands on the shoulders of the two smaller monsters: a lizard looking monster and another smaller skeleton. Moxie flipped over the photograph and read the back.  

“ _Left to right: Alphys, Gaster, and Sans,_ ” The writing said in Gaster’s handwriting. Moxie then looked at the note. “ _I was thinking since I was able to get a glimpse of you with the first robot you carelessly destroyed, perhaps you would like to see what I looked like,_ ” The note said. “ _The other two are my assistants. I could tell you more about our work if you were interested._ ” Moxie squinted, surprised at the length. “ _However, if we are to be scientific associates. I want to know your name._ ” Moxie rolled her eyes and tucked the note and picture into her pocket. She took the robot with her back to her tent. 

“Fine,” She said to herself. “Fine! Whatever, monster. Since you won’t leave me alone anyway!” She snatched up a notepad and began to scrawl a return note. She paused and stared at the words for a moment. Should she reveal anything more than she already had?  

Hesitantly, she set the paper back down. She needed to tell the Council about this. They needed to make the Barrier stronger. What in the world was she doing? She took the picture out and placed it on her pile of books. Staring at it, Moxie felt a twinge of something she thought she would never feel toward monsters. She felt empathetic. Beyond the Barrier, hundreds of monsters had been trapped for thousands of years. It must be miserable down there at times, knowing they could never leave. Then again, they deserved it. Didn’t they? Moxie crumpled up her note and began to write a new one. 

While Sans and Alphys got started on building the components for the DT detector. Gaster snuck off to the garbage dump. To his delight the robot had returned, he picked it up and opened the panel to find the human’s reply. “ _Moxie. Don’t think that I’m telling you my name because we’re friends! In fact, we are nothing but scientific associates. Since I’m stuck here guarding you all I might as well learn some things,_ ” The note said.  

So her name was Moxie. It suited her curt and annoyed tone. Gaster tucked the robot into his coat pocket and returned to the lab. He had spent most of the night working on the next component of studying the human. Speaking with her through notes had become more tedious than helpful. Using the camera design, Gaster created a better quality camera and installed it in a phone to make a video phone. He hoped it would work well. Turning the small machine over in his hands, Gaster nodded. They would learn a lot from the human. Probably enough to be able to break the Barrier and finally escape. He figured it would also be good to have an ally on the outside.  


	3. Chapter 3

The next day the robot returned with a small phone. Moxie stared at it with a confused look, turning it over in her hands. “What the hell is this?” She wondered. It looked pretty advanced for just a normal cell phone. It even looked smaller than human cell phones. The screen on the front was massive compared to cell phones Moxie had seen. As Moxie stared at it the screen flickered to life, revealing Gaster. He smiled at her. “Is this a video feed?” She asked, startled.  

Instead of speaking, the monster moved its hands in a pattern that Moxie recognized as sign language. Surprised, Moxie continued to stare. For a moment, Gaster looked concerned that she would not be able to understand him. He signed again, “ _Do you know sign language?_ ”  

“All sorcerers are taught it,” Moxie said, still a bit surprised.  

The monster looked relieved. “ _I was worried for a moment,_ ” Gaster signed. “ _All monsters down here learn it, so I have never had any issues._ ” He straightened up. “ _I created this device to enable better communication between the two of us._ ”  

“Uh huh,” Moxie said, staring at the screen. “I guess it’s better than notes.” She wondered if her curiosity had gotten the best of her. Every instinct that the Sorcerer’s Guild had instilled in her told her that speaking with a monster was a bad idea. Yet at the same time, the monster did not seem very threatening. “So uh what exactly do you want out of this?”  

“ _To learn more about the state of the world beyond the Barrier,_ ” Gaster replied.  

“Yeah, why?” Moxie asked. “Cause you’re planning on breaking it sometime soon? No humans can get in and it can’t be broken without human SOULs.”  

Guilt flashed across Gaster’s face. A memory of a smiling face came to his mind, but he did his best to ignore it. “ _Yes, about that,_ ” He said. “ _Humans have fallen down into the Underground. They were-_ ” His hands fell still and he glanced away, before signing again. “Asgore _has collected six human SOULs._ ” 

Moxie felt sick. She stared at the screen in shock. “What?!” She yelled.  

Gaster flinched. He should have lied to her. On the other hand, he might have had to tell her the truth one day as they spoke more and more. Though never the whole truth. The sorcerer looked furious. She clenched her teeth and then took a deep breath and sighed. “ _Perhaps-_ ” Gaster began to sign but stopped when Moxie spoke.  

“I knew this was a stupid idea!” Moxie yelled. “You really are a bunch of ruthless, heartless killers!” Shocked, Gaster froze. He began to tremble as a memory of a child’s scream and the sound of a blaster played through his mind.  

Before Gaster could say anything the screen went black. Presumably, Moxie had smashed the phone to pieces. Gaster closed his eyes and clenched his hands in frustration. He should have lied. Then again, if he wanted to get more information on how to make a synthetic SOUL, he would need to find a way to collect more data on the SOULs. The six they had were good for studying, but they lacked life. At least, they lacked life now. All they were was suspended power. Now that he had revealed that the Barrier had a breach, Moxie would seal it. Gaster probably had doomed them all. He could never save the ones he cared about. 

It took Moxie several hours of furious searching to find the hole deep in the mountain. She stared down at it. It seemed to stretch on forever. How had no previous guardian found it? That place must have been where the Barrier had been breached. Glancing around, Moxie wondered how she could fill it in. She summoned her bow and glanced up at the ceiling. A few well-placed arrows could bring it down. Slowly, she took aim and then fired several explosive, magic arrows.  

A resounding earthquake shook the entire Underground. Gaster glanced up with a worried look as Alphys slid off her stool and landed on the ground. Sans braced himself against a counter in the lab. “what was that?” He asked, startled. Gaster shook his head. This was all his fault. 

“ _Wait here,_ ” He signed to Sans and Alphys before rushing off towards the CORE. He worried most about how earthquakes would affect the CORE. It hung suspended over magma and one break could send it hurtling into the magma, leaving the entire Underground without power. As he checked support beams and examined the CORE for any malfunctions, he breathed a sigh of relief. The shake had not been big enough to harm it. 

When the dust cleared, Moxie saw the cave in had filled in the hole. Satisfied, she turned and left the cavern. Her bow disappeared with a wave of her hand. As she walked back to her tent, she wondered if the monsters had felt the shake. “I hope they were scared,” She said aloud to herself, scowling. Though, somehow the words didn’t feel sincere. “They’ve killed six humans.” Moxie reached her tent and crawled inside, pulling off her boots. She removed her cloak and tossed it aside, before falling back onto her sleeping bag. Six humans. According to some of the history books, monsters had not killed a single human in the war, so how had they managed to kill six? Moxie frowned. Over the course of a thousand years, they certainly had a lot of time to try. She rolled over and glanced at her pile of books. Sitting on the very top was the picture of the monsters.  

“Monsters are ruthless killers,” Chancellor’s words echoed in her mind. “They do not feel like us. They are not like us.” Yet they clearly could form friendships. They had been creative enough to create things that were advanced even compared to human technology. Frustrated, Moxie pulled her pillow over her head.  

“Six SOULs,” She told herself. “They killed six innocent humans!” Then again, wouldn’t she do the same if she was in the same situation? If humans had been trapped by monsters, would they kill monsters that fell into the Underground? Being out in the wilderness gave Moxie too much time to think. She had too much time to ponder whether or not monsters were inherently evil. So far, her experience with Gaster seemed to prove differently. “Ugh!” Moxie screamed to herself.  

“Moxie?” A familiar voice called out. Moxie sat up startled. She had forgotten that Kismet had planned to visit her. What would she tell him? Moxie snatched the picture up and hid it along with the video phone.  

“Hey Kismet,” Moxie said as she scrambled out of the tent, pulling her boots and cloak back on. The other sorcerer turned and smiled at her.  

“Ah, there you are,” He said. “Your tent is well hidden. Good job.” Moxie rushed over to hug him. His grip felt loose compared to hers and when she pulled away, he kissed her chastely.  

“I have had a lot of time to work on it,” Moxie said. Kismet nodded, glancing around the forest.  

“This place is pretty at least,” He said, walking over to the river. Moxie followed him happily. “Hopefully you haven’t been too miserable in the weeks you’ve been without me?” Kismet sent her a wry smile.  

“Of course not,” Moxie said with a teasing tone.  

“How is the Barrier?” Kismet asked, staring at the mountain. “It feels strong at least.”  

A knot formed in Moxie’s stomach. “It’s fine,” She lied and regretted doing so the moment the words left her mouth. It was too late to take them back. 

Their conversation continued on for a while. As usual, Kismet kept it professional, even though they were engaged to be married. He spoke of new recruits at Alcastle. Several children with strong determination had been located over the past month. Moxie nodded. She wished she could help train the new recruits. She always enjoyed being around the children.  

“You must be busy teaching them history,” Moxie said. Kismet nodded.  

“In the case of a Barrier breach it's important that they know the dangers of monsters,” He said. “They are awful creatures after all.”  

Again, Moxie felt a bit sick. “Yeah,” She agreed.  

Kismet just continued to talk. “Though you would probably finish off any resistance immediately. As the most powerful sorcerer on the Council, your strength is unparalleled.” Moxie nodded slightly, feeling a bit awkward. Her hand rose to touch the silver brooch on her cloak. She didn’t like it when Kismet praised her magic power. It always felt like he was objectifying her. She twisted the silver ring on her left hand and stared at Kismet’s matching ring as he spoke, “I would not worry if the monsters even did manage to escape.”  

“Well it is my job to protect everyone I guess,” Moxie said and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Kismet turned back and beamed at her.  

“Of course,” He said. “I have no doubt you will continue to do such a good job.”  

As they walked through the forest. Moxie wondered about the history books. “Do you think there’s anything missing from the history books?” She asked cautiously.  

“Like what?” Kismet asked.  

“Maybe,” Moxie said with a cautious tone. “The monsters’ culture perhaps? The books never mentioned what their culture was like. It never says what art they made or books they wrote or-” 

“That’s because they didn’t have any,” Kismet interrupted with a scoff. “What would make you think that they did?”  

Moxie laughed and shook her head. “Nothing,” She said. “I was just wondering.” The books must have had some omissions. She doubted that the monsters could have created such powerful technology without having some semblance of culture and innovative nature. “I’ve had a lot of time to think and was reading over the books again.” Kismet nodded.  

“It is always good to keep up with your studies,” He said. They reached Moxie’s tent again. “I should probably head back. Classes will be beginning this afternoon.” He kissed Moxie briefly. “Do not work too hard,” He said with a joking smile.  

“I won’t,” Moxie said with a laugh. She smiled at him. “Love you.” He nodded to her and headed off, teleporting back to Alcastle. Feeling a bit empty, Moxie turned back to her tent. She sat inside for a while, just staring up at the ceiling. Then, she sighed and grabbed one of the history books.  

All it talked about, page after page, was humans. How could something that discusses history be so incomplete? Angry, Moxie grabbed the book and threw it against the wall of the tent. That knocked out one of the supports and the whole tent collapsed. Screaming in frustration, Moxie wrestled to secure it again. Once the tent had been put back up, Moxie snatched up the videophone.  

As Gaster worked on one of the pieces of the detector in his room, his computer began to ring. He slowly raised his head and turned at it. A purple glow briefly lit up his eyes as he slammed the door shut and locked it in case Alphys and Sans returned to the lab. He then answered the call. The screen lit up with an image of Moxie. The sorcerer stared at him with a cold, hard look. She looked frustrated. Her hair spread out around her face, fluttering every which way in the light breeze. It was as wild as her expression. 

“Listen here monster,” She said. “No more humans are falling down there, I’m sure you figured that out.” Gaster still felt too shocked to reply. “But, there is something weird. Obviously, you’re way smarter than what humans think. Our history books are missing any mentions of monster culture or behavior or things like that.” She sighed and looked away. “They don’t even have any names of rulers.” Her eyes flashed back up to meet his. “So you’re going to tell me.”  

“ _The names of rulers?_ ” Gaster signed with a confused look. “ _Well, our king is named_ Asgore _and-_ ” 

“Also!” Moxie cut in. “No more humans are going to die!” With a confused look, Gaster tilted his head. Hadn’t Moxie sealed off the entrance to the Underground? “If a human does manage to find their way into the Underground you are going to make sure they do not die! Got it?” Moxie crossed her arms and moved her head, flipping her hair back over her shoulder. “In return, I’ll help you learn more about humans.”  

Gaster’s eyes widened. He nodded. “ _Of course._ ” He asked, agreeing with her requests immediately. Moxie glanced at him with an unsure look. “ _Why? Why did you change your mind?_ ” The sorcerer didn’t reply. “ _Regardless, thank you._ ” He smiled at her and she looked embarrassed.  

“So first of all,” She said, pulling out a notepad. “The rulers.”  

“Asgore _is our king,_ ” Gaster said. “ _He has been since the Human and Monster War._ ”  

“Wait, what?” Moxie asked with a confused look. “But that was thousands of years ago!”  

Surprised that the humans did not even know the difference between boss monsters and normal monsters, Gaster explained, “Asgore _is a special kind of monster called a boss monster. They do not age normally like other monsters and only age if they have children_.” Moxie nodded slightly. “ _I believe I deserve to ask a question?”_ Still looking a bit unsure, Moxie just nodded again. “ _Does determination magic vary in humans?_ ”  

“Of course it does,” Moxie replied. “I have the strongest determination, so that’s why I’m here. Can’t you tell that from the six human SOULs?”  

“ _Yes,_ ” Gaster signed back. “ _Though I wanted to confirm that determination does not fade after time._ ”  

“Monsters don’t have determination do they?” Moxie asked.  

Gaster smiled. He looked a bit proud and Moxie narrowed her eyes at him. “ _Some monsters do,_ ” Gaster signed back. “ _But not much._ ”  

“Huh, that’s interesting. Well, what kind of magic do monsters use?”  

Rather than speaking, Gaster demonstrated his own magic. Levitating a book over to his hands. The purple magic lit up both of his hands and eyes. The book landed in his hands. Then he also summoned one of the blasters. Moxie’s eyes widened at the weapon and Gaster sent it away with a quick twist of his wrist. The terror in her eyes reminded him too much of a child’s similar look. “ _It is highly variable amongst different kinds of monsters,_ ” Gaster signed after he set the book down. 

“Human magic isn’t like that,” Moxie said. “We can all do the same thing, summon weapons or perform entrapment spells. Our magic doesn’t vary.” As she spoke to the monster, the empty feeling she felt after Kismet’s visit began to disappear. A small smile crossed her face. “How many monsters are there? Are there a bunch of different types? What do they all look like?” Gaster looked surprised at the onslaught of questions but gave her a patient smile before answering. 


	4. Chapter 4

After months of collecting determination, the monsters were ready to attempt to create an artificial SOUL. Gaster had created a mold using Moxie’s information as well as the information they had gathered from the six other SOULs. Lights flickered in the lab as Sans flipped the switch and determination poured into the mold.  

“I hope it works,” Alphys said excitedly as they all gathered around the chamber.  

“we might just finally get outta here,” Sans said.   

The machine shook as a white SOUL begun to solidify. Flickering in and out of reality, the synthetic SOUL trembled as the determination fused together. Sparks flew from the machine and the SOUL began to crumble. Gaster managed to grab Alphys and Sans to pull them away right before the mold exploded. He sighed. Almost six months of work had been wasted.  

Both Sans and Alphys looked disappointed. “We were so close,” Alphys said. Tears of frustration leaped to her eyes. Gaster shook his head and walked back over to the machine.  

“ _We will find a way to fix this,_ ” He signed to her. “ _We just need to collect more determination and we will try again. Perhaps we can take it directly from the other SOULs this time. As long as we take just a little._ ”  

Still looking unsure, Alphys sighed. “We still have a little determination left over. At least we’re not starting from zero again.” Gaster nodded and picked up a piece of the broken machine to examine it.  

“let’s go, we can probably collect some more today,” Sans said, placing a hand on Alphys shoulder. "come on, don't give up just yet." He headed out of the lab with a determined look. Alphys followed him, shoulders slumped. Frustrated, Gaster slammed down the broken part of the machine he had picked up. They had been so close. The SOUL had almost stayed. They had almost been free. He took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. Getting angry would not help the situation.  

The first snow of the year had just fallen. Moxie sat at the top of Mt. Ebott, staring out over the small town in the distance. She sighed and glanced up at a cloud. Using her hands, she created a small triangle around it and then summoned a bow and arrow. With ease, she launched the arrow at the cloud. The arrow created a small hole as it shot through. Moxie nodded and stretched. She had perfect aim as usual. Out in the forest by Mt. Ebott, Moxie found herself bored all the time. Books had filled her tent and she had read all of them hundreds of times. Kismet came to visit her time to time as well, but she still spent most of her time alone. The videophone began to ring. Though, she did speak to Gaster almost every day. Moxie pulled her phone out of her cloak's pocket and answered the call.  

“Hey,” She said as the image of Gaster’s face flickered onto the screen. He looked worn out and the edges of his lab coat had been burned. “What’s wrong?” 

Gaster shook his head and signed, “ _It didn’t work._ ” His shoulders slumped in disappointment. 

“The synthetic SOUL?” Moxie asked. Gaster just nodded. “That sucks. Are you going to try again?”  

“ _Yes,_ ” Gaster signed. “Alphys _was quite distraught that it did not work, but luckily Sans tends to never give up._ ”  

“That’s good,” Moxie said with a small, hesitant smile. Once her and Gaster had learned everything about monsters and humans, their conversations had turned more and more friendly. Soon Moxie had forgotten how dangerous monsters were supposed to be. It was hard to hate the only creatures that ever spoke to you. Moxie glanced down at the silver ring on her left hand, before looking back over at Gaster.  

“ _I guess it does not matter if we break the Barrier if the only thing that waits for us is certain death,_ ” Gaster signed, shaking his head.  

With a frown, Moxie said, “It’s not certain death. I can convince the others. They have to listen to me.”  

“ _Then why not try to convince Kismet?_ ” Gaster asked with a wry smile.  

Moxie pursed her lips and looked away. “None of your business!” Gaster rolled his eyes and chuckled.  

Peeking back at the screen, Moxie glared at Gaster. “ _Are you afraid that your love is that fragile that a difference of opinions would cause it to breakdown?_ ” Gaster signed once Moxie looked back.  

That had been the wrong thing to say. Moxie glared at him and hung up without saying another word. Startled, Gaster stared at the screen and then sighed. Even though they had become friends, he should have known better. Moxie did not like to talk about her fiancé. Gaster sighed and pushed away from his desk. He headed out into the lab to work on rebuilding the mold. There was no time to consider such ridiculous thoughts. Wryly, Gaster wondered if he just had a tendency to favor getting himself into the worst possible situations. 

“Am I afraid a difference of opinions would break everything down?” Moxie said with a mocking tone as she shoved the phone back into her pocket. “Whatever!” She stared down at the ring again. “It’s not like that is exactly what I am afraid of.” She sighed and stood up, slipping on the snow. She screamed as she lost her footing and skidded down the mountain. Her hands grasped for a hold as she tumbled down through trees and bushes. Branches snapped against her exposed skin on her hands, scratching shallow wounds. After sliding down most of the mountain, she came to a stop when she bashed against a tree. Gasping, Moxie sat up and examined herself for injuries. Her right shoulder ached and when she touched it, pain shot through her. She sighed angrily as she rose to her feet to walk home. “Stupid mountain.”  

“Moxie? What happened to you?”  

Moxie had not been expecting to see Kismet back at her tent. Her eyes widened in surprise. “Oh,” She said. “I didn’t know you were coming.” The other sorcerer rushed over. “It’s nothing. I just slipped and fell down the mountain.”  

“You should be more careful,” Kismet said as he palpated her shoulder. Moxie winced. “Even though you can SAVE and LOAD, it’s not prudent to go around like you are invincible.”  

“I am invincible,” Moxie muttered. Kismet snapped her shoulder back into place and she yelped in pain.  

“There,” Kismet said. “You have not broken after all.” He smiled at her. Moxie sighed and smiled back.  

By Waterfall, Sans managed to find a strong spot of determination. As he and Alphys located the exact spot he said to her, “you know we can’t just give up.”  

“I know,” Alphys said with a sigh. “I just worry, what if I did something wrong?”  

“i doubt it,” Sans said, shrugging. “gaster’s checked everything we’ve made and he thinks it should have worked just fine. the thing is just difficult to make.” Alphys nodded. “don’t worry about it, we’ve done everything we can so far.” He stuck the determination extractor in the ground. It pulsed as it collected the determination. 

"I wish I could be as confident as you," Alphys said, staring down at her feet.  

Sans glanced back at her with a surprised look. "what?"  

"You really know all of this stuff so well!" Alphys gestured to the determination extractor. "Everything has come to you so naturally while I just screw it up all the time. And you-you never give up! You should be the next Royal Scientist...not me." 

"you give yourself too little credit," Sans said. "you just need to believe in yourself more alphys." Glancing over at her, he sent her a genuine smile. "don't worry so much. just go with it. relax."  

Nodding, Alphys wiped away the tears that had begun to form in her eyes. “What do you think Dr. Gaster’s been working on by himself recently?” She asked, changing the topic.  

“dunno,” Sans said. “but he’s hiding something.” 

“Duh,” Alphys said. She leaned back on her hands and glanced upwards. “I think he’s really stressed about finding a way out. I know he works even after we go home.” Sans nodded in agreement. 

“we should invite him out to do something,” Sans said.  

“I bet he’d want to watch some anime I found in the garbage dump!”  

“doubt it,” Sans said, rolling his eyes. “unless you find an actual human documentary, then i doubt any of that would interest him.” Before Alphys could protest, the determination extractor beeped, indicating it had finished collecting the sample. Sans picked it up again and stared at it. He tucked it into his lab coat pocket. “let’s go.” 

After Kismet left, Moxie pulled the phone out of her pocket again. She laid down on her stomach in her tent and called Gaster. After a few moments, Gaster’s face appeared on the screen. His eyes widened once he saw her and he quickly signed, “ _What happened?_ ”  

“I just tripped down the mountain,” Moxie said, waving her hand. “Nothing to worry about.”  

“ _Your face is all scratched up,_ ” Gaster signed. Frowning, Moxie touched the scratches on her face. “ _Do you feel alright? Would you like some food?_ ”  

“Uh,” Moxie said, but Gaster had already stood up. He picked up the small transport robot and placed several Cinnamon Bunnies inside. Then after another moment he also tucked a package of instant noodles and a bag of chips. “I’m not a little kid. You don’t need to take care of me,” Moxie said with an annoyed tone.  

Gaster laughed. He activated the robot and it headed off. “ _Sans said almost the exact same thing to me the other day when he burned himself with the blowtorch,_ ” He signed to Moxie.  

“Do you just like fixing broken things?” Moxie asked, rolling her eyes.  

“ _People are not things,_ ” Gaster signed back with a stern look. “ _People do not break. They get hurt._ ” Moxie just stared at him in surprise. “ _I just care about my friends. That is all._ ”  

The items arrived after about fifteen minutes. Moxie grabbed a Cinnamon Bunny and ate it quickly. The scratches healed and the pain in her shoulder faded away. She sighed, smiling. “This food is so good,” She said with a huge smile. Gaster nodded. “I’m glad we’re friends,” Moxie said after a few moments of quiet. Her expression was happy but troubled as she looked to Gaster. He could only guess how conflicted she felt over their friendship.  

“ _I am as well._ ” Gaster smiled back at her.  

Within several more months, they had enough determination try again. Gaster had reinforced the mold and they all watched as the determination began to form the synthetic SOUL. “Do you think it will work this time?” Alphys asked nervously. The SOUL pulsed white as it formed. Then it seemed to solidify.  

“no way,” Sans whispered.  

Slowly, Gaster opened the mold and removed the SOUL. It trembled in his hands. “We’ve done it!” Alphys exclaimed.  

“we’re really going to be able to leave,” Sans said.  

“I can’t believe it! We should go tell Asgore.”  

“papyrus will be so excited.” 

“Everyone will think we’re cool for breaking the Barrier!”  

The SOUL cracked and crumbled. Gaster stared at the dust in his hands in disbelief. Both Sans and Alphys’s shoulders fell. Gaster shifted his hands and all that was left of the SOUL dissipated throughout the lab. “ _I am sorry,_ ” He signed to his two assistants. “ _I just do not think it is possible. We do not have enough power to create a stable enough SOUL._ ” He clenched his hands in frustration. All of those months were for nothing.  

“Dr. Gaster?” Alphys asked with a worried tone.  

He had failed them. He had failed all of the Underground. In a way, it was good that Moxie had never gone to the trouble of trying to convince the other sorcerers. After all the effort, they had not found a way to escape.  

“gaster?” Sans said.  

It should have worked. All of the calculations had been perfect. They had collected just as much determination as the real SOULs contained. Even Moxie thought the theory was solid. The lights in the lab shook. Both Alphys and Sans glanced at them with a worried look. Gaster wondered why he couldn’t do anything right. Why couldn’t he save anyone? He couldn’t even save one human child, how did he ever expect to be able to save the whole Underground. One lightbulb burst, sending glass flying down from the ceiling. Frustrated, Gaster threw the machine across the room with his magic. The crash knocked down several other machines. “ _It should have worked,_ ” Gaster signed. “ _It should have worked._ ” Tears began to stream down his face. Another lightbulb burst. Sans spotted a spark of purple magic as the glass fell down. Embarrassed, Gaster turned away to hide is tears and frustration from his assistants.  

“we could try again,” Sans said. Startled, Gaster glanced over at him. “there’s still some determination left that we haven’t collected.”  

“We can go out right now and collect more!” Alphys agreed and Gaster glanced at her. She smiled at him. “We know how important this is to you, Dr. Gaster!”  

Touched, Gaster leaned down and hugged them both, feeling his frustration dissipate. His dear assistants had become like a family to him. Both Sans and Alphys hugged him back. “luckily,” Sans said. “you have the best assistants around, right?”  

“We can keep trying,” Alphys said. She had begun to cry as well and a few of her tears hit Gaster’s cheek. “I-I believe we can do it! Let’s not give up!”  

Gaster nodded and pulled back. He signed, “ _Thank you._ ” Then, he wiped away his tears with his lab coat’s sleeve. “ _I agree. All we can do is try again._ ” 


	5. Chapter 5

The golden flowers bloomed all over Mt. Ebott. It took Moxie a while to notice them, but soon their golden glow was all she saw as she looked out across the snowy landscape. Somehow they managed to grow even in the cold. They were beautiful. Glancing around for a brief moment, Moxie hopped across some stones to the other side of the river and walked over to a flower patch, studying them.  

“Hi Moxie.” The voice startled Moxie and she whirled to see a younger blonde woman standing behind her on the other side of the river. She smiled hesitantly.  

“Paramour,” Moxie said with a cold tone. “What are you doing here?”  

“I came by to see you,” Paramour said. She hopped across the stones, blonde curls bouncing around her shoulders. As she walked over Moxie spotted the bag in her hands. “I saw these in the little town down there. I thought I would bring some for you. We don’t often get a chance to eat sweets back at Alcastle right?”  

Sometimes Moxie wondered if her obsession with the sweet Cinnamon Bunnies was because she never got to experience sweets as a child. Paramour held out the plastic bag to her. Grumbling under her breath, Moxie took the bag and opened it, pulling out a few cookies. “They’re okay I guess,” She said, chewing thoughtfully. She wondered if eating so much monster food had ruined her taste for human food.  

Paramour walked over to examine the golden flowers. She leaned down and plucked one, examining it more closely. “These are pretty.” Glancing over at Moxie, she approached her. With a gentle hand, Paramour slid the flower behind Moxie’s ear. “They are tough too.” 

“Yeah they are.” Moxie turned away choosing to examine a far off tree rather than speak directly to Paramour. 

“How have you been?” Paramour asked with a pleasant tone. 

“Fine.” Moxie’s response was sharp.  

“Have you been keeping busy? It must be boring here.”  

Moxie glanced over her shoulder for a brief moment. “It’s fine. Thanks for stopping by to play catch up, you can go now.”  

“Moxie please don’t act like this,” Paramour said. She walked back over and forced herself in front of Moxie. Concern shone in her green eyes. “I know that you were angry with me after-” 

“After you told me I’m an idiot?” Moxie snapped.  

“I did not say anything like that.” Paramour clasped her hands tightly in front of her. “I-I was out of line, I know that, but I just-” She broke off and sucked in a pained breath. “I want you to be happy and I don’t think Kismet-” She stopped and stared down at her feet.  

“I am happy,” Moxie said. Her words felt like a lie, even to her. 

“Has he even ever told you he loves you?” Paramour’s voice grew quiet.  

“Of course he has!”  

“I’ve never heard him.” Raising her head, Paramour stared at Moxie with a defiant look just like she had the day Moxie left. “He never has. I know he never has. Moxie, he doesn’t care about you! He’s power-hungry. He’s-He’s-” 

Furious, Moxie shoved Paramour back. “Shut up!” Tears formed in her eyes. Paramour’s words stung even more. She had not been so direct before. 

“Why won’t you listen?” Paramour shook her head. “You deserve so much more than him! You deserve someone who cares about you, not just your power! You deserve someone who cares for you who-” Paramour broke off. “You deserve someone who will love you even if you never love them back. Kismet doesn’t even love you to begin with!”  

“This is why I said I never wanted to see you again!” Moxie’s voice echoed across the forest. Several birds spooked and flew from the trees, screeching as they left.  

Ashamed, Paramour lowered her head. “I’m sorry,” She whispered. “I just want what’s best for you.”  

“Maybe not being friends with you is what’s best for me! Leave me alone!”  

Paramour’s shoulders slumped. Moxie caught sight of tears streaming down her cheeks. She turned and walked away without saying another word. When Moxie could no longer hear her footsteps she turned back and walked over to the golden flower patch. She sat down amongst the flowers, wiping away her frustrated tears. Kismet did care about her. Just because he never explicitly said so did not mean anything. There were plenty of ways to show that you loved someone. She glanced over at the cookies. Why had Paramour even bothered? Moxie snatched them up and threw them into the river before falling back into the flower patches and staring up at the sky, watching the clouds.  

As Gaster paced the lab brainstorming ideas on how to optimize the artificial SOUL creation he caught sight of a sketchpad sitting by Alphys’ desk. He walked over and she glanced up at him. “ _I did not know you liked to draw,_ ” Gaster signed to her.  

“Oh, well, I’m not good.” Alphys laughed and sighed. “I uh tried, but it turned out super bad.” She picked it up and sighed. “But whatever, I’ll stick to writing.” She offered it to Gaster. “You used to draw a lot right?”  

“ _I have not had time lately,_ ” Gaster signed before taking the sketchpad. When he was younger, Gaster sketched many things. He drew the flora of the Underground as he studied them. He drew various monsters, trying to capture their emotions in the moments he saw them. When Alphys had first started on as his assistant, he sometimes sketched her to her embarrassment. 

“Maybe you should draw something, it might be relaxing,” Alphys said.  

Nodding, Gaster walked off to his room. He closed the door behind him and walked over to his desk. A stray pencil lay on his desk and he picked it up, turning it over and over in his hand before he called Moxie. Her face appeared on the screen. She stared at him with an irritated look. “ _Is something wrong?_ ” Gaster signed after setting the pencil down.  

“It has nothing to do with you,” Moxie said. She sighed and shook her head. Gaster tilted his head, studying the golden flower in her hair. It seemed as though the flower emitted a golden glow. Moxie saw him staring and narrowed her eyes. “What?” 

“ _The flower in your hair,_ ” Gaster signed. “ _It is beautiful._ ” Embarrassed, Moxie reached up and touched the flower. “ _You look beautiful._ ” Moxie’s eyes widened in surprise and a purple blush spread across Gaster’s cheeks. He glanced away and did not see the blush on Moxie’s face.  

“These flowers are all over Mt. Ebott,” Moxie said. She leaned the phone against something and Gaster could see she was sitting in a patch of the flowers.  

“ _Yes, there are some in the Underground as well,_ ” Gaster signed back. Moxie nodded and glanced down at the flowers, trailing her hand across a couple of them. Gaster reached over to his sketchbook and opened it. He began to trace the shape of the flowers, drawing them first before drawing Moxie. When he glanced up, she was staring at him. 

“Are you drawing me?” She asked, surprised. Gaster nodded and to his surprise, Moxie smiled. “Well, you better catch the supposed beauty you see.” She glanced at something Gaster could not see and she continued to smile.  

The only noise for a while was the scratching of the pencil against the paper. Vague lines took shape and formed the curves of Moxie’s face and body. Gaster drew the flower in her hair last, interwoven amongst her curls. After a while, Moxie stretched and glanced over at Gaster with an expectant look. He turned the sketchpad to show her and her eyes widened. “ _What do you think?_ ” Gaster signed. 

“Is that how you see me?” Moxie asked. Her face felt hot as she looked at the picture. While it was only drawn in pencil, Moxie could easily see all the details of her face and body. It looked so detailed and cast her in such a beautiful light. Her smile looked genuine. When she raised her eyes a bit to look at Gaster, she was surprised to see the look on his face. A purple blush had spread across his cheeks again and he glanced away. 

“ _I drew you as you are,_ ” He signed back.  

“Don’t be stupid, I don’t look anything like that!” Moxie shook her head. “I’m not pretty like that. I certainly don’t smile like that.” Gaster looked back at her with a confused look. “What?” 

“Why do you think so lowly of yourself?” He shook his head. “You remind me of one of my assistants.”  

“ _I’m just a realist,_ ” Moxie said, crossing her arms.  

“Sometime _pessimism hides_ itself _under the supposed cloak of realism,_ ” Gaster signed to her. He stared down at his drawing and smiled. “ _Have you ever considered that?_ ”  

Moxie looked surprised. She frowned, looking considerate. “Isn’t a pessimist just a realist?” 

Gaster laughed at that. “ _I would disagree with that. A pessimist would look at those flowers and focus on how they will die someday._ ” His hands fell still as he considered his next thought. “ _An optimist would consider how their beauty must shape everything around them. It does not matter if they die. A realist will see their beauty and realize that all things must die, but it does not make their existence any less valuable._ ”  

“So which one are you?” Moxie asked.  

“ _A realist of course. I am a scientist._ ”  

Moxie snorted and rolled her eyes. “No, you’re not. You’re an optimist. An optimist never gives up. An optimist is the kind of person who would go and befriend their mortal enemy.”  

Looking considerate, Gaster nodded. “ _Perhaps._ ” Moxie studied him with a curious look. She had learned to read his expressions well, though the look on his face at that moment was foreign. He stared back at her with a soft smile. She felt her face grow hot again. No one had ever looked at her like that. At least she had never noticed. “ _I should get back to work on the synthetic SOUL. I will speak with you later._ ” Gaster signed.  

“Bye.” As the screen flickered to black, Moxie stared at her own reflection. Her heart pounded in her chest. She took a deep breath and put the phone away before standing to head back to her tent.   

The determination detector indicated that there was a powerful spot of determination in the garbage dump near Waterfall. Gaster walked alongside Alphys and Sans, who chatted about something Alphys had seen in one of the human movies.  

“a red string?” Sans asked. “that’s weirdly specific.”  

“It’s the red string of fate!” Alphys said. “Supposedly it connects soulmates!” Sans chuckled. “What?”  

“if all of us were connected by strings to our soulmates wouldn’t that just create a tangled mess?” Sans shook his head. “this concept seems stringy.”  

“Uh well, the strings aren’t visible!” Alphys blushed. “Like in the anime, the two characters had friendship bracelets! They were connected through those. Linked together forever.”  

Rolling his eyes, Sans glanced over at Gaster. “what do you think gaster?”  

“ _Is this similar to wedding rings?_ ” Gaster signed to Alphys. “ _Circlets of metal which are supposed to link a couple together for life?_ ”  

“Uh, I guess,” Alphys said, unsure. “I mean there’s a lot of fate and destiny that involves the red string of fate.” Again, Sans seemed doubtful. “Don’t you think there’s someone you’re destined to be with Sans?”  

“nah,” Sans said, shaking his head. “who needs romance anyway? as long as i have my bro, i’m happy.”  

Gaster smiled a bit. Sans’ loyalty and love for Papyrus were the only thing keeping him from giving up the ruse as a Royal Sentry and joining Alphys as an official Royal Assistant. Gaster had tried to convince Sans many times that Papyrus would probably be just as thrilled if not more for Sans’ success, but he wouldn’t listen. Sometimes Gaster wondered if Sans just hid behind that excuse. Alphys glanced down at the mini DT detector. “Looks like the determination’s over here in these flowers.”  

“ _We seem to be finding a lot of determination in the flowers,_ ” Gaster signed to them.  

Sans nodded and stuck the DT extractor into the ground. Flipping the switch, he said, “didn’t these flowers come from the surface?”  

“ _Yes,_ ” Gaster signed. “ _The first flower grew in New Home after Asriel’s death._ ” Both Sans and Alphys looked solemn at the mention of the prince. Gaster watched the DT extractor work, pulling the determination from the ground. He walked over and plucked a single flower, twirling it around in his hand. He thought back to the drawing of Moxie and her reaction. Sometimes when he spoke to her it seemed as though no one had ever said kind words to her. With a sigh, Gaster tucked the flower into his pocket. 

Pacing around the meadow, Moxie glared at her ripped cloak. She had managed to catch it on a bush and tore a huge hole in it, which meant she would need to take a trip into town to get some sewing supplies. She hated going into town. Everyone in Ebott stared at her constantly. They all knew she was a sorcerer and had been guarding the Barrier. With a sigh, Moxie turned and walked into town. As she walked into a small arts and crafts store, she passed by a section dedicated to easy do it yourself crafts. Curious, Moxie stopped and eyed it. She could use something to occupy her mind.  

“It’s you again,” A quiet voice said. A little girl peeked out from another aisle. She walked over to Moxie with a nervous look.  

“Hello,” Moxie said as the child walked over to her. “Uh, look kid. I’m sorry about what I said last time we met.” She paused. “Listen, can I tell you a secret?” Moxie knelt down to speak to the child, eye to eye. “I think humans and monsters can be friends.”  

“Really?” The child asked. She looked surprised. “But I though they’re scary and evil?” Moxie shook her head. “I though they aren’t like us.”  

“Sometimes just because someone is not like you does not mean that you can’t be friends,” Moxie said.  

Considering that for a moment, the child nodded. “When the Barrier is broken can I make a monster friend?”  

“Yeah sure,” Moxie said, ruffling the girl’s hair. She giggled and then ran off. Moxie watched as she spoke to a group of children who all looked excited at the good news. Moxie rolled her eyes and turned back to the shelf. She spotted coils of rope in a multitude of colors. She reached out and examined a couple strands. A purple one caught her eye. She stared at it and then saw a black one nearby. With a small smile, Moxie pulled out a handful of ropes from both colors along with an instruction booklet. She bought those along with a small sewing kit and headed back to Mt. Ebott.  

After sewing her cloak back together, Moxie struggled with the ropes for the rest of the night. No matter how she twisted and turned them she couldn’t force them together. With an irritated huff, she threw them aside and went to bed. After breakfast, Moxie began to fight with the cords again. As she struggled she managed to thread them into a tight braid. Delighted, Moxie fit it around her own wrist, measuring the length. Her phone began to read. She had propped it up against some books. She reached over with her toe and touched it to answer the call.  

Gaster stared at her with an amused look. Bits of rope had been thrown all over the tent and Moxie bet he could see the poorly made bracelet around her wrist. “ _What are you doing?_ ” Gaster signed.  

“I’m making bracelets,” Moxie said. Using her teeth, she finished tying the rope in place around her wrist. “I was bored, so I thought I’d do some crafts.” She held her wrist out and proudly displayed the bracelet. “See!” Gaster nodded. His eyes flickered over to the pile of leftover rope. “I could probably make a second one.” Immediately, he looked back over at her with a surprised look.  

“ _Why?_ ” He signed.  

“Uh.” Blinking, Moxie felt her face grow hot. “You always give me so many things and I’d be a bad friend if I never returned the favor wouldn’t I?” She picked up several more strands and began to braid them together. “You’ll have to tie it on your wrist, but I can make most of it.” Her heart pounded in her chest. She didn’t look up from her work. Once she finished, she held out the bracelet. Gaster had his own head lowered. He was drawing her again. When he looked up, she grinned at him. “What do you think?”  

“ _It is lovely,_ ” Gaster signed. He reached over and activated the transport robot.  

When the robot arrived back with the bracelet, Gaster stared at it for a few moments before picking it up. He used his magic to tie it around his wrist. Did the red string of fate have to be red? Embarrassed at the thought, Gaster kept his face lowered in an attempt to hide his blush. “What?”  

“ _Thank you._ ” Gaster looked back up and met Moxie’s gaze with a smile. Her eyes widened and she shifted them away, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. The smile on her face was small. She seemed to be trying to hide how happy she looked. Gaster glanced back down at his drawing and continued to draw. 


	6. Chapter 6

The next five attempts to create a synthetic SOUL failed. Summer had come around again and they had to give up on the project. No more determination could be extracted from the Underground without extreme effort. The three of them agreed that building a larger extractor would cause too much distress to the rest of the monsters. The project had failed. Gaster insisted they had tried their best, but Alphys and Sans were still disappointed. To get their minds off the matter, Gaster proposed they work on updating the CORE. He left Sans and Alphys the responsibility of updating some of the programs.  

“alphys,” Sans said to Alphys as Gaster walked by. “this is unreadable.” He gestured to the computer screen with an annoyed eye roll. “you can’t name all these variables after asgore. i know you have a crush and all but-” 

“I don’t have a crush!” Alphys protested. Gaster paused and watched the two of them with an amused look. Blushing, Alphys waved her hands and said, “Asgore is our-our leader. I look up to him!” Before Alphys could say anything else, Sans snatched her lab notebook up. “Hey!”  

“you sure doodle a lot,” Sans said, dodging Alphys attempts to grab the notebook back. “there’s lots of hearts scribbled here.”  

“Give it back!” Alphys exclaimed, turning even more red from embarrassment.  

“hey gaster,” Sans said, dodging Alphys again. A loud crash rang out as she tumbled into a pile of unused computers and monitors. “is any of this part of the core’s programming?” As Sans showed him the notebook, Gaster snatched it from his hands and handed back to Alphys, who rushed over to grab it. “spoilsport.”  

“Perhaps someday you will develop a crush on someone and Alphys can tease you,” Gaster signed to Sans, who rolled his eyes again. “Or perhaps Alphys will develop another crush on someone else and you can continue to tease her then.” Blushing, Alphys glanced away.  

“speaking of crushes,” Sans said, eyeing something on Gaster’s wrist. “where’d that come from? is your own heart tied up?” He gestured to the black and purple rope bracelet around Gaster’s wrist.  

“Yeah,” Alphys said, glancing at the bracelet. “You started wearing that months ago, but we never got the chance to ask about it. Where’d you get it?”  

Gaster pulled his sleeve down over the bracelet and blushed. “ _Nowhere,_ ” He signed, turning to leave.  

“I think Gaster’s crush is much more interesting,” Alphys said to Sans. Both of them laughed.  

Gaster turned back to them. “ _I do not have a crush on her,_ ” He signed to them.  

“her?” Sans asked. He exchanged a mischievous glance with Alphys. “who’s that you’re talking about?” 

Realizing his mistake, Gaster paused. He thought frantically for a moment. “ _No one,_ ” He signed. “ _I misspoke._ ”  

“Oh my gosh! Who is she?” Alphys asked. “I didn’t even know you went out enough to meet someone!”  

“ _That is a bit harsh,_ ” Gaster signed back.  

“does she live in the core?” Sans asked.  

“Does she live in Waterfall?” Alphys guessed.  

“what about new home?”  

“Snowdin?”  

Gaster shook his head again. “ _No,_ ” He signed. “ _Please forget I even said anything._ ”  

“come on tell us,” Sans said. “i promise not to find it too humerus.” Gaster rolled his eyes and walked off. “why not?” Instead of responding, Gaster walked into his room and slammed the door shut.  

“He doesn’t want you to tease him like you tease me,” Alphys said. “Since you’re such a pain when it comes to crushes.”  

Sans smirked back. “i still wonder who she is,” He said. “gaster’s always wrapped up in his work? who could possibly catch his attention long enough for him to fall in love?” 

Gasping for breath, Moxie popped back up to the surface of the river. She took a deep breath and shook out her hair. Although trash sometimes floated down the river, it was remarkably clean and great for summer swims. The strong current kept the water clean. Moxie flipped over and floated on her back, allowing the current to drag her for a while. Several clouds drifted by. She held up her hand and stared at her engagement ring. Kismet had become busy with evaluations for a new Council member. One of the older members, Speck, had passed away and they needed to locate a replacement. Moxie had a feeling that a young sorcerer named Boon would be the best replacement. He was a quick thinker and intelligent for how young he was. Even many of the older sorcerer’s would never match up to his wit. Moxie lowered her hand and paddled backward for a few minutes, fighting the river's current below allowing herself to drift again. She then lifted up her right wrist and stared at the purple and black knotted bracelet.  

Water dripped from the bracelet and splashed onto Moxie’s face. She sighed and continued to swim backward. She continued to tell herself the only reason she had become such good friends with Gaster was because he was one of the few people she could speak to. Kismet rarely visited and the townspeople seemed too afraid of her to talk to her beyond small talk. Gaster liked her and seemed to care about her.  

As if on cue, the videophone began to buzz. Moxie flipped over and swam over to the river bank. She dried off her hands and pulled over the phone. “Hey,” She said as the screen flickered on.  

“ _I see you are enjoying the summer weather,_ ” Gaster signed. He looked amused.  

“Why not?” Moxie said. Water trickled down her forehead. “What’s up?”  

“ _My assistants are driving me crazy,_ ” Gaster signed back with a sigh. “ _They finally noticed the bracelet and insist that I received it from some romantic interest._ ” Moxie felt her heart pound a bit harder and faster. “ _I needed some company that would not badger me about my non-existent love life._ ”  

“Why not tell them about me?” Moxie asked, intent on changing the subject from the possible “romantic interest” and “love life.”  

“ _I do not want to put them in a position where they must keep a secret from_ Asgore _,_ ” Gastor replied. He glanced away, considering what to say next. “ _Also, I am sure the teasing would simply change._ ”  

“You could just tell them I’m engaged to be married,” Moxie said. Her words felt like a knife. Gaster paused for a few moments before replying. 

“ _That is true,_ ” He signed back, trying to remain neutral. He stared at Moxie who just laughed and smiled back at him. Water trickled down her skin and the way the sun reflected off her skin made it seem as though she glowed in the sunlight. Even when wet, her hair curled around her face. “ _It must be nice on the Surface during the summer._ ”  

Moxie leaned forward on her hands. “I’m sure you’ll find out someday,” She said with a soft tone. “Maybe we could even go swimming together.”  

“ _Oh no._ ” Gaster shook his head. “ _I do not like to swim. I nearly drowned as a child._ ” Moxie laughed. “ _I do not think nearly drowning is a laughing matter._ ”  

“You never talk about when you were young,” Moxie said.  

“ _Neither do you,_ ” Gaster countered.  

“So was your childhood horrible?” She asked with a darkened expression. “Filled with brainwashing about how evil monsters are and constant training with magic until you were broken and bruised?”  

“ _No,_ ” Gaster signed. It was a different kind of painful. An image of Waterfall flashed through his mind. The quiet music played in his mind. 

“Well then I don’t know why you don’t talk about your childhood,” Moxie said. She ran a hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face. “But that’s why I don’t talk about mine.”  

For a moment Gaster considered telling Moxie the truth. He considered telling her about what had happened when he was a child. Then, he chose to speak of better times instead. “ _I used to work for the Royal Scientist before me,_ ” Gaster signed. “ _I spent most of my time the same way I do now._ ”  

“Do they just appoint of the assistants to be Royal Scientist once the old one dies?” Moxie asked.  

Gaster shook his head. “ _Not automatically, though the Royal Scientist's oldest assistant usually earns the position. You first have to prove that you are worthy of the position._ ” 

“So what’d you do?” Moxie asked.  

“ _I created the CORE,_ ” Gaster signed back. When Moxie gaped at him, he tilted his head in confusion. “ _What?_ ”  

“You say that like its nothing!” Moxie exclaimed. “Doesn’t the CORE power all of the Underground?”  

“ _Yes,_ ” Gaster replied. “ _It is much better than our previous power sources which_ is _why I designed it._ ” When Moxie laughed, Gaster just stared back with a confused look.  

“I don’t think you’ve even capable of being proud huh?” Moxie commented. “You’re modest down to the bone.” She snickered after realizing she had made an unintentional pun.  

“ _There is no point to bragging,_ ” Gaster signed, shaking his head. “ _I believe one should always be modest about their accomplishments._ ” 

 Moxie leaned forward on her hands again and smiled. It was so sweet. Gaster felt a small blush appear on his face. “You would not fit in at Alcastle at all,” She said.  

“ _I have deduced that,_ ” Gaster said with a wry smile.  

“Hey!” Moxie exclaimed. “I do not brag.”  

“ _Just yesterday you were bragging about shooting an apple off of your tent from the top of Mt._ Ebott _,_ ” Gaster signed back, chuckling a little bit. “ _Or what about last week? You were bragging about how you managed to run twelve miles without running out of breath._ ”  

“Whatever,” Moxie said, rolling her eyes. For a brief moment, she disappeared from view. Gaster heard a splash and then she reappeared, soaking wet again. Gaster couldn’t help but think about how beautiful she was. He shook the thought from his head. “I was thinking about the synthetic SOULs.”  Gaster perked up in interest. “Maybe the reason they weren’t stable is because they never had the chance to live.”  

“ _Live?_ ”  

Moxie nodded. “I bet you could create a synthetic human SOUL using a monster SOUL,” She said. “Just inject a dying monster with determination and then the SOUL could change to become more human-like.” Gaster shook his head. “Yeah, I guess that experiment wouldn’t be too ethical huh?”  

“ _I have been studying the composition of the Barrier,_ ” Gaster signed. “ _It seems to be haphazardly strung together without much planning. Perhaps if a skilled sorcerer pulled out a cord then it would be weak enough for just six human SOULs._ ”  

Moxie shrugged. “Maybe,” She said. “I’ve looked at it from this side too, as much as I can. The type of magic used to create it hasn’t been taught to us in hundreds of years. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.” When Gaster looked disappointed, Moxie added, “Don’t worry. I bet we can figure something out.”  

“ _I sincerely hope so,_ ” Gaster signed. Then a quiet knock sounded at his door. Startled he signed to Moxie. “ _I have to go._ ” The call ended. Moxie tossed the phone back onto the pile of towels and pushed off the river bank to float again.  

The clouds she had been watching had drifted a bit further in the sky. She stared up at them. What in the world had she gotten herself into? The Council would declare that she was a traitor if they ever found out, which they would someday, considering she had to convince them to leave the monsters alone. Though she had done some research and discovered that an old clause declared the Sorcerer’s Guild could not do anything to the monsters for seven years if they were peaceful upon leaving the Underground. There was no need to mention anything to the Council until after the Barrier had been broken. 

“Hello Dr. Gaster,” Alphys said. She wore a mischievous grin. “Do you want to go out to Grillby’s? Sans goes there all the time and he says its fun.” Gaster narrowed his eyes at her. “While we’re there you can tell us about your friend.”  

“ _Go without me,_ ” Gaster signed, about to shut the door again. He didn’t even see Sans until the smaller skeleton had shoved his foot between the door and the frame.  

“come on,” Sans said. “it’ll be fun.”  

“ _Will you stop pestering me?_ ” Gaster signed with an annoyed glare.  

“maybe,” Sans said with a shrug. “come on. you don’t even have to tell us her name.”  

“ _There is no her._ ” Gaster gently pushed Sans back using his magic and closed the door. 

"come on, don't be so thick-skulled," Sans said.  

Ignoring his assistants, Gaster sighed and walked back over to his desk. Scattered across it were the pictures he had drawn of Moxie. He picked one up and examined it, leaning on one hand. There most certainly was a “her.” Gathering up all of the drawings, Gaster placed them in a neat pile and grabbed his journal. “ _I feel conflicted,_ ” Gaster wrote. “ _I have learned much about humans and even Moxie herself. I do not want to go to the surface knowing that the Sorcerer’s Guild is there and will slaughter us all. There is confusion bubbling up in every part of my mind._ ” Looking up, Gaster reached over and picked up one of his drawings of Moxie again. “ _Now I find myself enjoying my time with Moxie more because I enjoy her, not because I enjoy learning about the humans or finding a way to help the monsters. No. I enjoy speaking to her because she is intelligent and surprisingly kind. Though I have never met any other humans, I am fairly certain she is also beautiful for one. Perhaps I just find her beautiful. Perhaps I have many feelings about her. Perhaps I have fallen in love with her._ ” Gaster stared at the words he had just written and shook his head “ _Perhaps that is a ridiculous idea,_ ” He wrote. The bracelet slid down his wrist and he stared at it. Then he stared at the portraits again. “ _Perhaps that idea is actually backed by much evidence. I wish I could speak to_ Alphys _and Sans._ ” He closed the journal again and shut his eyes, placing his head in his hands. It did not matter how he felt. Moxie would never return his feelings. He didn’t deserve her feelings. 

The stars glittered up in the sky. Moxie stared up at them with a smile. She found the constellations all her teachers had taught her, recalling all the names of the stars within each constellation. Someday she would be able to show Gaster all of the constellations. He sometimes talked about how amazing it would be to see them. She imagined what it would be like, discussing stars and laying there in the grass. Blushing, Moxie shook the thought from her mind. “Stop it,” She sighed. The rope bracelet slid against her wrist. “You are engaged to Kismet.” The words felt more like an obligation than a reminder of her love toward the fellow sorcerer. Distance did not make the heart fonder. Barely speaking to Kismet did not make Moxie miss him. Instead, she felt like she could hold Kismet at arm’s length and see all of his flaws. “His many flaws,” Moxie mused out loud. “Damn it!” She sat up and sighed, burying her head in her hands. “He is a monster Moxie! And you are engaged to Kismet! A human. That’s how it’s supposed to work, remember?” Furious, Moxie leaped to her feet. She needed to go to bed and get some rest. “That’s how it’s supposed to work.” 


	7. Chapter 7

Autumn had arrived. Leaves drifted from the sky as Moxie worked to clear them away from her tent. Kismet would be there in a little while to visit her and she wanted her rather unimpressive home to at least look nice. After all, he hadn’t visited in a long time. As Moxie tidied up inside the tent, she silenced the phone and tucked it inside of her small wooden chest. Her eyes drifted over the picture of Gaster, Sans, and Alphys. She picked it up and smiled. “Moxie?” Panicked, when she heard Kismet’s voice, she shoved the photo into her pocket.  

“Hey, how are you?” Moxie asked, backing up out of the tent. She smoothed out her cloak and smiled at him.  

“Fine,” Kismet said. He walked over to her and gave her the usual chaste kiss. “It has been exhausting choosing a new member.”  

“I bet it was Boon right?” Moxie said.  

Kismet looked surprised. “It was,” He said. “How did you know?”  

“I would have chosen him,” Moxie said. "And I'm always right."  

Together the pair of sorcerers strode through town, chatting about events back at Alcastle. Moxie did not have anything to contribute to the conversation since everything interesting that had happened to her needed to stay a secret. “I was thinking,” Kismet said. He glanced at her with a small smile. “Everything at the Barrier has been so calm. Perhaps you would have time to come home for the wedding?”  

Wedding? Moxie stared at him. “Really?” She asked, surprised.  

“We were actually going to get married eventually right?” Kismet asked. “I think a wedding in the winter would be nice.”  

“Winter is kind of gloomy,” Moxie said. She toyed with her rope bracelet. “What about spring?”  

“Isn’t that a bit cliché?” Kismet disagreed. Moxie just shrugged. “Well, we can speak about it plenty before we decide on anything.” He glanced at Moxie. “You have spent so much time in that tent. I was thinking that we could stay in a hotel for the night.” Moxie’s heart pounded and she blushed. “Would you like that?”  

“What about the Barrier?” She asked.  

“I’m sure it will be fine for one night,” Kismet said. Moxie nodded. “Surely you must get bored of just staring at that mountain.”  

Sometimes Moxie did get bored. It only lasted for an hour or so. Then, she just called Gaster and spoke to him. He had even created a small holographic chess game they could play together. A good game of chess easily ate up hours of her time and she loved playing it with Gaster. He turned out to be quite good. “Yeah I get bored,” Moxie lied.  

Kismet had reserved one of the nicest rooms at the nicest hotel in Ebott. Moxie’s first thought was to shower. She tossed all her clothes in a pile next to the bed. When she got out, there was a silk robe waiting for her. Kismet sat at one of the tables. He had removed his cloak and rolled up his sleeves. Smiling at her, he gestured to the champagne bottles. “Would you like some?” He asked. Moxie nodded and sipped a glass, smiling back. It felt like a new luxury, being back in actual civilization.  

“I’m surprised Alcastle hasn’t fallen apart already with you gone for more than an hour,” Moxie said with a teasing grin. Kismet just laughed. “Well, you’re Chancellor’s second in command, right?”  

“Technically you are,” Kismet said. He touched the silver brooch on the front of Moxie’s cloak. Moxie shook her head, embarrassed. “When you are replaced by another sorcerer, you will become the leader of the Council.”  

“And if Chancellor dies before then you will,” Moxie countered. 

“What a pair we are,” Kismet said, leaning forward to kiss her. 

It had not been the first night Moxie had spent with Kismet. Tangled together with him in the covers used to have an exciting spark. Moxie had loved Kismet for years. She even admired him when they had both been children. The process of falling in love with him had been the best times of Moxie’s life. Yet, something felt different that night. Moxie no longer felt warm when Kismet wrapped his arms around her. Rather she felt almost as if she was obligated to be there. She felt no excitement or thrill. It just seemed like something she had to do. She did not want to be there.  

Afterward, once Kismet had fallen asleep, Moxie lay in bed staring at the ceiling. She held her right wrist up and stared at the bracelet, tracing the interwoven ropes. Then she examined the ring on her left hand. It looked dull. With a sigh, Moxie slipped out of bed and walked over to peek out the window at the stars. "You are engaged to Kismet," Moxie said under her breath. "You love him." Rubbing the bracelet, Moxie glanced down at it with a guilty look. "You love a human, not a monster." Gripping the bracelet, Moxie closed her eyes. "Not Gaster. You can’t love him. Get it together." With a sigh, Moxie returned to the bed and laid with her back to Kismet.  

The next morning, Moxie woke up to Kismet shaking her shoulder. “Moxie,” He said. His voice sounded cold. Yawning, Moxie glanced up and blinked at him. As his face came into focus, Moxie saw it was twisted in anger.  

“What?” She asked, confused. She sat up and grabbed her discarded robe, pulling it around herself. 

“Care to explain something to me?” Kismet asked.  

Still half-asleep, Moxie just nodded. “I guess,” She said. “If it’s really worth waking me up this early.” Why was he so angry? Moxie rubbed the back of one of her hands, creating nervous circles. She had not expected Kismet to shove the photograph into her hands.  

“It fell out of your jacket pocket,” Kismet said. “Care to explain how you came across a picture of monsters?”  

Moxie felt like all her blood drained from her face at once. She looked up at Kismet with a sheepish expression. “I can explain,” She said.  

“Then please do,” He snapped back at her.  

“The monsters,” She said, brushing her hair out of her face. “They’re not what you think they are.” She held the photo and stared at it. Countless speeches she had prepared in her mind rose to the surface. “Our history books are wrong.”  

“That’s a traitorous thing to say,” Kismet said, towering over her as he stood before her.  

“It’s true,” Moxie insisted.  

“How would you know?” Kismet said. His tone became mocking. “Were you there? Did you witness the Human and Monster War?”  

“No,” Moxie said. “But I-I’ve spoken to them.” She gestured to the three monsters. “This is Gaster. He-” 

“Excuse me?” Kismet interrupted. “You spoke to them?” 

“Gaster created a robot that got past the barrier,” Moxie said. She spoke as fast as she could. “I destroyed it of course, but then we began exchanging notes and I learned a lot about monsters from him and-” 

“You would actually believe a single word a monster tells you?” Kismet snarled. “How stupid!” 

“You could see the logical inconsistencies in the books if you opened your eyes!” Moxie snapped back. “We have been indoctrinated by the Guild our entire lives! Monsters posed no threat to humans! The sorcerers were jealous!”  

“You have lost your mind! That monster is tricking you!”  

“Gaster is my friend,” Moxie yelled back, leaping to her feet. She clutched the photo to her chest. “Do you know how I’ve kept myself from going insane while watching the Barrier? It certainly wasn’t because of your half-assed visits.” Tears had gathered at the corners of her eyes. “Gaster cares about me! He wouldn’t lie to me. All the monsters want is to have a chance at freedom. A chance to live in peace with us!” Moxie would have never foreseen what Kismet did next. 

Kismet slapped Moxie. The force of the blow almost knocked her over. She stumbled, feeling the left side of her face begin to throb from the pain. “You are a naïve fool!” Kismet yelled at her. “How stupid could you be Moxie? I am ashamed that I even know you. You are a traitor and an idiot!”  

Tears streaked down Moxie’s face as she looked back up at Kismet. “How dare you,” She said back. Her voice filled to the brim with vitriol. “You’re wrong.” Kismet raised his hand to strike her again, but Moxie moved faster. She summoned a sword and shoved Kismet against the wall, holding the blade to his throat. The photo fluttered to the ground.  “Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare strike me again!” Fear flashed through his eyes.    

“You are lucky that we are engaged,” Kismet whispered. “It would look bad for me to be associated with a traitor.” 

“Like hell we’re still engaged,” Moxie said through gritted teeth.  

“We are if you want your secret kept,” Kismet said.  

Moxie felt cold. How could she ever have thought Kismet actually cared about her? Her face throbbed in pain. She wondered if Kismet had broken her cheekbone. “Fine. Though you are never coming back here again. Got it?”  

“I don’t want to,” Kismet said.  

“Maybe in a few years I can tolerate to be near you again and we can get fake married and you can have the power you’re so hungry for,” Moxie said, lowering the sword. "Since that's all you care about." Her sword disappeared and she stormed away, snatching the photo off of the ground. She pulled on her boots and slipped into her cloak. She gathered the rest of her clothes in her arms rather than spending more time putting them on. “Goodbye Kismet.” The other sorcerer watched Moxie leave with a cold stare.  

As Moxie strode down the street, she ignored the worried glances of passing townspeople. It was still early so not many people were out. Moxie threw all of her clothes into her tent and grasped at her engagement ring. She pulled it off and threw it into the forest before collapsing to her knees and sobbing into her hands. How could she have been so stupid? She wondered.  

For two days Moxie did not answer any of Gaster’s calls. He paced the lab, walking around in circles and wondering if something had happened to her. Sans and Alphys glanced up from their own work to watch him. “you okay?” Sans asked.  

“ _Fine,_ ” Gaster signed back. He walked over to his room and stared at the screen then reappeared a moment later and continued to pace. Sans and Alphys exchanged a worried look.  

“uh you don’t look fine,” Sans said. Gaster stopped pacing and glanced over at him. “what’s wrong?”  

“ _I am worried,_ ” Gaster signed. 

“obviously,” Sans said and Alphys sighed.  

“About what?” She asked. “About the CORE? We have just this last program to update and then everything’s great.” Gaster shook his head. “I promise we didn’t screw anything up!”  

“ _No, it is not that,_ ” Gaster signed, shaking his head. “ _I do not want to speak about it. It will make me more worried._ ” He paced back over to his room and closed the door, staying there.  

“i hate when he gets all cryptic,” Sans muttered under his breath.  

“So pretty much the majority of the time we talk to him? Alphys asked, leaning her chin on one hand.  

“pretty much.” 

For several moments Gaster just stared at the screen. Then he called Moxie. The waiting soon became agony. Right before Gaster thought Moxie would not answer the screen flickered to life and displayed an image of Moxie. A huge purple and black bruise covered her left cheek. Her eyes were red and puffy, presumably since she had been crying. It looked like she hadn’t brushed her hair in days. “Hey,” She said, voice soft and broken.  

“ _What happened?_ ” Gaster signed. His hands danced through the air, making frantic motions. “ _Are you alright?_ ” 

Moxie lowered her eyes. “Kismet found out,” She said. Her voice just managed to reach above a whisper. “He wasn’t happy.” Anger flared up in Gaster. His hands shook and he clenched them. “We fought. He hit me. Luckily, he doesn’t plan to tell anyone else.” Moxie laughed, sounding worn out and hollow. “It would ruin his reputation to be engaged to a traitor.” She rubbed at her eyes, but no tears fell. “God I’m so stupid.”  

“ _Why didn’t you answer earlier?_ ” Gaster signed. The bruises on her face looked awful. Kismet must have struck her hard to cause such extensive damage.    

“I didn’t want to worry you,” Moxie said. “I thought the bruises might go away. I even tried to heal them with my magic, but human magic isn't very good at healing.”  

“ _I was worried sick!_ ” Gaster shook his head, fighting back tears. “ _You almost always answer my calls and when you did not I was so worried something horrible had happened to you._ ” He had also worried that Moxie had grown sick of talking to him, but felt as though that would be a selfish thing to tell her.  

“I’m sorry,” Moxie said. “I’m a real screw up, huh?” Gaster shook his head again. “Yes, I am! I always have been. I’ve been too quick to make rash decisions. Too quick to anger. I was stupid to think Kismet loved me! This was my own damn fault.” She pressed her palm to her face, attempting to hold back further sobs. “I can’t believe this happened to me. I should have known. I should have known no one could ever love me.” Gaster’s hands trembled. He felt tears gather at the corners of his own eyes. “Gaster?”  

“ _That is not true,_ ” Gaster signed. “ _It is simply not true._ ”  

“How would you know?” Moxie shook her head. “I never had any real friends back at Alcastle. No one ever liked me. It was perfect that I happened to be the most powerful sorcerer so I would get sent away.” She laughed again, choking back a sob. “I’m just a violent, uncouth loudmouth who never fit in with the rest of the sorcerers. I bet they celebrated the day I left!”  

Tears fell from Gaster's eyes. " _No,_ " He signed, shaking his head.  

"I'm worthless!" Moxie hugged her knees to her chest. "I don't deserve to be loved. It makes sense that everyone hates me!"  

“ _I love you!_ ” Gaster signed to her. Moving his hands slowly and deliberately, Gaster signed the words again with grand gestures, touching his chest, crossing his arms, and then pointing to Moxie. " _I love you._ " Moxie stared at him in disbelief. Smiling, Gaster continued and signed, “ _You are wonderful. Those humans are wrong for not liking you. Yes, perhaps you can be a bit brash and curt at times, but it is a wonderful type of honesty. You are intelligent. You are beautiful. You are wonderful. I care for you so much!_ ” Tears continued to run down his face. “ _Please do not think you are unloved because I love you so very dearly. I would do anything for you._ ” His hands began to tremble so much that he struggled to sign out the next few words. “ _Perhaps it is irrational, but subjectively to me at least, you are perfect Moxie._ ”  

“What?” Moxie whispered. Gaster lowered his hands, trembling too much to sign at the moment. “You can’t really mean that.” Gaster laughed and nodded. “You should hate me.” Gaster shook his head, wiping away his tears. “Why? Why in the world would you love me?” 

“ _Because you are perfect,_ ” Gaster signed, hands still shaking.  

“I’m not!” Moxie insisted.  

“ _You are to me,_ ” Gaster signed. Someone knocked at his door. Moxie glanced towards the direction of the noise and then looked back to Gaster. “ _Would you like some Cinnamon Bunnies? I could send some._ ”  

“Why are you so nice to me?” Moxie said, clenching her teeth in frustration.  

“ _I am your friend,_ ” Gaster replied.  

“Why?” Moxie shook her head. “I don’t deserve to be treated with such kindness Gaster!”  

“ _Yes you do,_ ” Gaster signed back. The knock sounded again.  

“Aren’t you going to answer the door?” Moxie asked. “What if it’s something more important?”  

“ _You need me more right at the moment,_ ” Gaster signed back, shaking his head. He picked up the transporter robot. “ _Cinnamon Bunnies?_ ” He asked again.  

Giving up her protests, Moxie nodded. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. “I wish you were here,” She whispered almost so quietly that Gaster did not hear her. As he put the desserts in the robot, he glanced at the blanket on his bed. He snatched it up and folded it up, having to stuff it inside the robot to make it fit. Then he sent it off. “Thank you,” Moxie said. She curled up, leaning her chin on her knees.  

“ _Of course._ ”  

When the robot arrived, Moxie looked surprised to see the blanket. She set the bunnies aside and glanced at it and then back to Gaster. “Is this yours?” She asked. Gaster nodded.  

“ _You said you wished I could be with you,_ ” He signed. “ _As I cannot, I thought a blanket would provide some comfort._ ” Moxie smiled and hugged the blanket.  

“Thank you, Gaster,” She whispered. “Thank you so much.”


	8. Chapter 8

“Checkmate!” Moxie moved her pawn to trap Gaster's king. Gaster stared at the board in frustration. He had been so close to winning and then Moxie managed to sneak all her pieces out of his well-placed traps. “Maybe someday you’ll win.” Moxie said with a shrug. Wind howled in the background. She sat huddled in her tent with Gaster’s blanket draped around her.  

After several moments of staring at the chess board, Gaster sighed and glanced back up. “ _Best five out of nine?_ ” He signed, making Moxie laugh.  

“Sure,” She said. “I can’t really do anything else with that blizzard raging on outside. It’s nice cuddling weather.” With a sad smile, Moxie pulled the blanket around herself a bit tighter. With a longing gaze, Gaster stared at for her a moment before starting a new game. He managed to win a couple of games but then Moxie went one to win the next several. It seemed as though she had tricked him into thinking he might win. “Checkmate!”  

“ _Do you spend all day practicing chess?_ ” Gaster signed, looking frustrated. For someone who managed to stay so calm all the time, Moxie found out that Gaster was a bit of a sore loser. 

“Maybe you should spend more time practicing,” Moxie said and winked at him. Shivering, Moxie tightened the blanket around her shoulders. “I’m pretty sure I’m getting sick. I feel nauseous.”  

“ _It would be bad if you fell ill during the storm,_ ” Gaster signed with a worried expression.  

Moxie sighed. “I hate these stupid spring storms.” Coughing, Moxie sighed and rubbed her stomach. “Maybe I should go to bed early.”  

“ _That might be for the best,_ ” Gaster signed to her. “ _Goodnight Moxie._ ”  

“Night.” The screen flickered to black and Gaster leaned back in his chair. He wondered if he should get some Sea Tea from Gerson’s shop. It might help with Moxie’s nausea. They needed to work on the DT detector the next day, so they would pass through Waterfall. Gaster nodded to himself. He would get some Sea Tea for her then.  

The DT detector had been given off strange readings. There had been random spikes of determination that vanished almost the moment they showed up. The signal came from the Surface and did not seem to indicate Moxie or another sorcerer. The machine always detected Moxie and the new peak was much higher than hers. “I wonder what’s wrong with the detector,” Alphys said as they walked there.  

“ _We will find out,_ ” Gaster signed to her. “ _Can we stop by Gerson’s shop?_ ” 

“Uh, I don’t see why not,” Alphys said with a shrug.  

Yawning, Moxie rolled over in bed. She stared up at the ceiling of her tent and wondered if the citizens of Ebott would notice if she built a house in the woods. Then she felt a jolt in her abdomen. She sat up and placed a hand over her stomach. “What the hell?” The jolt happened again, except it felt less like a jolt the second time. She felt the pressure of a tiny foot hit her hand. Her eyes widened in shock.  

The DT detector began screeching like crazy. Gaster stared up at in surprise. A peak appeared right on top of Moxie’s ever present peak. Sans whistled, staring at the peak. 

“that’s so weird,” He said. “that’s a lot of determination.” The peak disappeared and then reappeared a moment later. “doesn’t look stable though.”  

Another kick from the baby startled Moxie. It couldn’t be possible. She would have noticed that she was pregnant. Frustrated, Moxie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe she had still been dreaming. The baby kicked again. 

The powerful peak of determination appeared a third time, jumping even higher than before. Gaster typed commands, zooming in on the source. It was still right on top of Moxie’s peak. Worry spread over him. The peak disappeared and then reappeared again. “ _I will be back,_ ” He signed to Alphys and Sans before racing out the door. He teleported back to the lab, not wanting to waste any time. Rushing into his room, Gaster called Moxie. 

“Gaster?” Moxie answered a few moments after Gaster called. She looked almost as worried as he felt.  

“ _Are you alright?_ ” He signed, staring at the screen with a frantic look. “ _The DT detector in_ Snowdin _has been detecting a very powerful signal of determination from right where you are. Is there another sorcerer? Are you in danger?_ ”  

Moxie slowly shook her head. “I’m pregnant,” She whispered. Both her and Gaster just stared at each other for a few moments.  

“ _Oh,_ ” Gaster signed. His hands fell to his lap.  

“This baby will be stronger than me,” Moxie said. Gaster nodded. He had deduced that from the DT detector. “When they get older they’ll become the most powerful sorcerer. The Council will surely find them and then they'll-” Moxie broke off and held back a sob. "They'll train them, raise them just like I was raised." 

“ _No,_ ” Gaster signed, shaking his head.  

“What?” 

“ _They can come to the Underground,_ ” He signed. “ _They will be safe here._ ”  

“Are you nuts?” Moxie exclaimed. “Surely all the monsters would want to kill them!” 

“ _I can tell the truth to the others. I will protect them,_ ” Gaster signed. He would never fail to protect the child again. “ _If this child is as strong as you say, perhaps they could utilize the other six SOULs to break the barrier._ ”  

“No human has ever been able to use another human's SOUL,” Moxie said, shaking her head. “Plus, even if you did break the Barrier. The Council would come after you. All of the Guild would.” Gaster frowned. “Besides isn’t where the humans typically fall sealed off from the rest of the Underground?”  

“ _I believe it is because whoever lives there wants to protect the humans,_ ” Gaster signed. Another lie he told Moxie. Something he could not admit he knew about without telling her the entire truth. “ _There are some rumors that it is the former queen,_ Toriel _._ ” Moxie nodded, curling up and putting her head on her knees. Gaster had told her the story about Chara and Asriel. That was what prompted the attempt to break the Barrier. 

“This is exactly what Kismet wanted out of me,” Moxie said. “To be married to the leader of the Council with the seventh member as his child.” 

“ _Forget him,_ ” Gaster signed a bit more angrily than he meant to. Regardless, Moxie seemed to appreciate it and she smiled back at Gaster. “ _Everything will be all right._ ” Moxie nodded.  

“I believe you,” She said and then glanced down at her stomach. “Maybe this baby could fulfill that prophecy huh?” She smiled and recited from memory, “ ‘There is a prophecy, the angel, the who has seen the surface. They will return and the Underground will go empty.’ ” 

“ _That prophecy is nonsense,_ ” Gaster signed, shaking his head. “ _It was made up since the original meaning of the Delta Rune had been lost._ ”  

“Well the other monsters don’t seem to think so,” Moxie pointed out. Gaster considered that for a moment and nodded.  

“ _You are right,_ ” He signed. “ _It might make them more accepting of a human._ ” Before Gaster could say anything else he heard the door to the lab open. “ _I have to go._ ” Moxie nodded and Gaster ended the call.   

Walking at a quick pace, Gaster headed back out to the main lab. Sans and Alphys stood there, both panting. “why’d you run off like that?” Sans said between gasps. “geez gaster.” 

“ _I was worried something had happened back here with the SOULs,_ ” Gaster signed. It was an easy lie. Sans narrowed his eyes at him.  

“Why do you think the DT detector went off like that?” Alphys asked.  

“ _I am not sure,_ ” Gaster signed and he sighed. “ _Though I worry it might mean we are in grave danger. We need to create something._ ”  

“okay.” Sans rolled his eyes. “what?”  

“ _A determination infuser,_ ” Gaster signed. If they did end up leaving the Underground with Moxie’s child, they would still have the Sorcerer’s Guild to deal with. Therefore, they needed to be prepared. They needed to become stronger.  

“What?” Alphys asked, startled. “To infuse what with determination?”  

“ _Monsters_ ,” Gaster told her before walking over to one of the tables in the lab. He brushed some random machine parts away and began to draw a blueprint. Sans and Alphys walked over to watch. “ _We need to become stronger,_ ” He signed to both of them. “ _Monsters would never stand a chance against humans as we are now._ ”  

“yet we have six human SOULs,” Sans said.  

“ _They were children,_ ” Gaster signed back. A small detail he had never mentioned to Moxie. The guilt weighed on him. Even Alphys and Sans did not know what he had done as a child. “ _If we were attacked it would be by the Sorcerer’s Guild, just like in the Human and Monster War, we would be killed in an instant. I doubt they would be as merciful this time._ ” Sans did not say anything more and just watched as Gaster sketched out the machine. “ _I will work out some more details later._ ” He glanced at Sans. “ _Is it alright if we build this in the_ Snowdin _lab?_ ” Sans nodded. “ _Let us begin working on it immediately then._ ”   

Each month made Moxie sicker. She woke up with horrible morning sickness five out of seven mornings every week and often felt too weak to get out of bed for hours on end. Gaster kept her company as much as he could. The determination detector continued to go off, showing the child’s presence more and more each day. 

“What if the Council figures it out?” Moxie worried one day. She glanced over at Gaster who just shook his head.  

“ _I doubt they are monitoring you closely,_ ” He signed back.  

“God I hope not,” She sighed. Rolling over on her side to face the phone more directly, Moxie sighed. “How is everything down there?”  

“ _We have begun work on a determination infuser,_ ” Gaster signed. “ _Perhaps it would be beneficial to make the monsters more powerful. Though I plan to run many careful tests before I use it on any actual monster._ ” Moxie nodded again. Gaster’s gaze softened. “ _If the Council cannot be convinced that we pose no threat, then I worry what would happen to my kind._ ” Moxie nodded.  

“Just cause I won’t be the strongest sorcerer doesn’t mean I won’t be strong at all,” Moxie said. “I just won’t be able to SAVE and LOAD anymore.” Gaster nodded. Moxie had explained the time travel magic to him once before. It seemed as though something like that shouldn’t be able to exist. “I’d do anything to protect all of you.” The sincerity in her voice surprised Gaster.  

“ _Of course,_ ” He signed. “ _I would as well to protect you and that new small one._ ” Moxie blushed and glanced away. She smiled.  

“Thank you, Gaster,” She said. For a moment Moxie considered saying something else. The words were right on the tip of her tongue, but she bit her lip and did not say it. Even with Gaster, she couldn’t bear to tell anyone she loved them again. Her experience with Kismet had not just broken her heart. It left her traumatized. As much as she did love Gaster, Moxie could not shake the fear of telling him. It was irrational since Gaster had already said he loved her, but Moxie still worried. 

The months dragged on and on. While Moxie worried more and more each day, she did not go to any doctors in town. Her fear of the Council finding out prevented her from going. Though, when the first of the contractions began and she writhing in pain in the middle of the forest, Moxie decided that she had better go to a hospital. The labor lasted for almost a day. During which Gaster paced the laboratory. By late evening, Sans and Alphys had grown used to his pacing. Sans watched as Gaster fiddled with the rope bracelet. Gaster walked over to one of the parts of the determination infuser. He worked on it for a while and then began to pace around the room again.  

Late that night, the child had been born. “Congratulations,” The doctor said. “You have a healthy baby girl.” He handed the child to Moxie, who took her into her arms after a moment of hesitation. The baby had a light brown fuzz of hair starting out on her head. Moxie touched the baby’s cheek. Her skin was lighter than Moxie’s and her eyes looked like Kismet’s, but the general shape of her face matched her mother. A huge smile spread across Moxie’s face as the baby banged her fingers on her mother’s.  

“Her name is Frisk,” Moxie said with a small smile. The baby’s smile filled Moxie with determination. “She is my future.”


	9. Chapter 9

Giggling, Frisk stumbled over to Moxie. “You did it!” Moxie exclaimed, hugging the baby. “Now you can actually walk!” Almost a year had passed since Frisk had been born. By some stroke of luck, the Council had never found out about her. Moxie glanced over at the videophone. “Obviously, she is a very skilled baby.”  

“ _I would not know,_ ” Gaster signed back, laughing. “ _I do not know anything about human children._ ” Frisk crawled over to the phone and stared at it. Moxie snatched her back and hugged her, making the baby giggle. Gaster watched the scene with a sad look. He wanted to be there with them so much.  

“This is your destiny,” Moxie said to Frisk. “You were always meant to have this power. You are the future of humans and monsters. You are the angel.” She tossed Frisk up into the air and caught her. Then she sat Frisk in her lap and turned to speak to Gaster. “Can you say hello to Gaster?” Frisk waved her hands in a semblance of a proper wave.  

“ _Close enough,_ ” Gaster signed. “ _Hello, Frisk._ ” He smiled at her.  

The toddler watched him and then tried to mimic the fluid movements of his hands. Both Gaster and Moxie laughed. “Mommy!” Frisk exclaimed, staring up at Moxie.  

“Good job Frisk,” Moxie said. “Maybe you’ll be able to say hello one of these days.” Frisk grinned. “Soon I hope?” 

“ _Children can be very stubborn,_ ” Gaster signed with a smile. “ _I remember that some children toured the laboratory once._ Alphys _had such a hard time keeping them in line._ ” Gaster chuckled. “ _I guess I did too._ ”  

“Do you think you could keep this one under control for me?” Moxie asked, ruffling Frisk’s hair. The baby giggled and got off of Moxie’s lap, crawling away. Moxie snatched her up and placed her back. 

“ _Perhaps,_ ” Gaster said. “ _I would not know._ ” He paused and his face grew serious. “ _We were planning on testing the determination infuser this afternoon._ ”  

Moxie frowned. “Is it ready?” She asked with a worried look. Gaster nodded, but he looked unsure. “Be careful,” Moxie said. Frisk squirmed around and Moxie let the baby crawl away from her. “Okay?”  

“ _Of course,_ ” Gaster signed. He gave her a reassuring smile. “ _Nothing bad will happen. I have foreseen and planned for every possible outcome._ ” Moxie nodded. Gaster paused again and then signed, “ _I love you Moxie._ ”  

Moxie’s throat went dry. She opened her mouth to reply but paused. It was just long enough. Disappointment flickered through Gaster’s eyes, but then he ended the call before Moxie could say anything. Angry at herself, Moxie fell back into the grass. Frisk crawled over and began to play with her hair. “I love you, Gaster,” Moxie whispered, closing her eyes.  

Before they began the experiment, Gaster paced around his room. He flipped through his drawings of Moxie and smiled before tucking them into a small safe under his bed. If something did happen to him, he needed to make sure Moxie and Frisk’s existence remained a secret. He thought about how he had never gotten to draw a portrait of Frisk and sighed. After the experiment, he would get to work on one. Gaster put his journal in the safe as well, before heading out to meet Alphys and Sans at the other lab.  

Once Alphys finished setting up the camera, she leaped down off the counter. “Everything’s ready!” She said. “We’ll get all the data on tape.”  

Gaster stood beside the computer console. He had a solemn look. “ _Alright,_ ” He signed. “ _Set up the machine, we will test it on me_.”  

Startled, Sans shook his head. “that’s nonsense,” He said. “you can’t test it on yourself!”  

“ _We do not know what might happen,_ ” Gaster signed. “ _I do not feel comfortable putting either of you in danger._ ”  

Alphys protested as well, “And if we lost you? The whole underground would be screwed over! There’s no one that could possibly take your place.”  

With a small smile, Gaster signed, “ _Either of you would be perfectly suitable. You are wonderful scientists._ ” Sans and Alphys both looked embarrassed and shook their heads. 

 “whatever, cut out the sweet talk,” Sans said, rubbing the back of his head. “why don’t we just test it on me?”  

With a look of alarm, Gaster shook his head and signed, “ _No! Sans, we do not what could happen!_ ”  

“come on, it’s fine. i trust that we got the thing functional.” Sans walked over to the chamber and opened the door. 

“Sans, are you sure?” Alphys asked with a nervous look.  

“yeah, come on alphys,” Sans said. Alphys still looked unsure, but walked over to help with the preparations.  

“ _Please do not do this,_ ” Gaster signed. “ _I need to be the one to do it. This was my own insane idea._ ” Both of his assistants ignored his pleas. Sans sent him a confident grin as Alphys put the final metal discs in place. “ _Please Sans, let me do it._ ” Sans shook his head and Gaster sighed. With slumped shoulders, he walked over to the computer console with Alphys.  

“Initiating sequence,” Alphys said, tapping at the keyboard. Gaster moved much more fluidly. The screen lit up and revealed a white soul. Alphys looked up at Gaster. He gave her a small smile and pressed the final button. He hoped that nothing would go wrong. Every experiment that had done with determination had never worked out perfectly. Sparks lit up the controls and Sans screamed in pain. “Oh no! What’s happening?” Alphys typed various commands that all resulted in error messages.  

Instead of messing with the keyboard Gaster leapt into action. He ripped a panel off of the machine. The glowing white coil sat there, pulsing. It controlled everything, powered the machine and directed the determination. With it, all of time and space had been connected. Without it, the machine would power down. With a determined look, Gaster grabbed it and pulled. The machine continued to spark and smoke as Gaster struggled with the coil. He had to get it free. The determination was unstable and would kill Sans if they did not stop the machine. A purple glow enveloped Gaster’s hands and began to disappear into the coil. The machine had latched onto his magic and began to absorb it. He yelped in surprise and fought against the coil. It would rip him to shreds if it pulled him in. The effort turned out to be futile as the coil pulsed and dragged him in. 

“Dr. Gaster!” When the smoke had cleared, Dr. W.D Gaster had disappeared and the coil pulsed purple. The sparks began to die down and the coil turned red. The power in the lab went out. “Sans? Are you alright?” Alphys said, racing over to the chamber. She felt around for the handle, unable to see in the dark. Pulling on it, Alphys ran into the chamber and pulled Sans to her. “Sans! Come on, wake up!” She shook him. “Sans!” Tears streamed down her face. “Don’t die too! Please Sans!” Sobbing, Alphys rubbed at her eyes, but tears continued to fall. After a few more moments, Sans stirred. He opened his eyes. A glow blue light surrounded his left one. 

“alphys?” He asked weakly. Cracks spread out from his left eye, pulsing blue as well. “gaster?”  

“You-You’re alright!” Alphys hugged Sans, clutching at his jacket and sobbing into his shoulder.   

“i don’t think i am.” Sans shuddered. “where’s gaster?”  

“I don’t know!” Alphys exclaimed with a distraught look. “Something happened with the machine. It malfunctioned and sparks were going everywhere. It looked like the directing coil had absorbed him.” Sans raised his hand and jumped when a blaster appeared above the machine. Its eyes glowed blue. He exchanged a horrified look with Alphys.  

“he’s been split across time and space,” Sans said.  

“And part of his magic went into you,” Alphys concluded. Tears welled up in Sans’ eyes and together in the dark lab, both of Gaster’s assistants sobbed together for the loss of their friend.  

Days raced by. Moxie worriedly paced around the mountain, dragging Frisk along with her on the long walks. She had not heard from Gaster. He did not answer her calls. Had something happened? “He’s alright,” She told Frisk, who just tilted her head in confusion. “I promise he’s alright.” She said that more to calm her nerves than to calm Frisk’s. “Maybe we should try calling again, right?” Moxie pulled out the phone and sat down on the ground. Her hands shook as she turned it on and called Gaster. It rang for what seemed like an eternity before someone answered. It was not Gaster.  

“He-Hello?” Moxie recognized Alphys from the photo Gaster had sent to her. “What? Are-Are you a human?”  

“No,” Moxie whispered. She gripped the phone tightly in her hands. “Where’s Gaster? Is he with you? Is he alright?” Alphys looked startled. She had never seen a human and being questioned by one was quite traumatizing as well. Tears began to streak down the monster’s cheeks. “No,” Moxie whispered again. “He’s not dead. He can’t be dead!” 

“He was trying to save Sans,” Alphys said between sobs. “The machine went haywire! It-It ripped him apart! There was nothing I could do!”  

The phone slipped out of Moxie's hands and fell to the ground. Gaster was dead. Moxie began to tremble. “I never told him I loved him,” She whispered. “I never told him. Why didn’t I ever tell him?!” She screamed in agony, moving her arms to hug herself tightly. It felt like every part of her had been torn apart. She felt empty inside. “No! No! Gaster!” Her shrieking turned into violent sobs. Frisk stared at her with a concerned look. “NO!”  

Moxie LOADED. The trip only took her back a few days to a moment where Frisk played with a butterfly in a meadow filled with golden flowers near the mountain. Whirling around in the meadow, Moxie said, “I have to go back further!”  

The scene played out again, Frisk chased the butterfly and giggled. “No!” Moxie tried to LOAD again and was met once again with the meadow of golden flowers.  

Despite her attempts, Moxie could not access any other SAVEs. She had been taught since she was a little girl to SAVE often. Due to that, she could not go back to save Gaster. He was lost to her. Screaming again, Moxie fell to her knees. She hugged herself, pulling her knees to her chest. It was all their fault. The sorcerers had caused it. Without them, Gaster would have never built that machine. He wouldn’t have died. Frisk glanced over at her mother with a concerned look and stumbled over to her, placing a tiny hand on Moxie’s knee. Tears streamed down Moxie’s face. “I loved him! I loved him so much. He was the only real friend I ever had! He actually cared about me! Why the hell did this happen?! Why?” Sobs wretched her body. “Oh god I loved you so much Gaster!” Then, Moxie considered resetting. As she hugged herself she thought back to when she was a little girl, the moment when she first gained control over her power. If she reset she could go all the way back. Then, she could save him. Everything could change, though. Almost thirteen years had passed and Moxie knew she couldn’t relive all those lonely years again. By the time she reached Gaster, she would be dead inside. 

For a moment all Gaster could see was darkness. Then a thousand different timelines flashed before his eyes. He saw the birth and destruction of the universe. He witnessed battles from the Human and Monster War. Jerked between a thousand different realities, Gaster saw a menagerie of realities. There were ones where monsters and humans lived in peace on the Surface. Other realities showed the monsters as victors of the war. Other realities revealed different personalities for all of his friends. So many possibilities had been laid out before his eyes. Cracks began to form all over his body. He moaned in pain as his body split apart. There were too many places. He had been pulled in too many directions.  

“gaster?”  

Blinking, Gaster realized he stood in the lab underneath Sans’ house. Everything looked grayed out. He turned to see Sans standing behind him. The younger monster looked terrified. “Do not be scared Sans,” Gaster signed. He walked over to Sans and knelt in front of him.  

“gotta be honest,” Sans said with a shaky voice. “you look pretty messed up. you’re a bit more holey than i last saw ya.” Sans chuckled, but still looked nervous as Gaster glanced down at his hands. He had not noticed the holes until Sans pointed them out. 

“ _I know,_ ” Gaster signed. He flicked his wrist and summoned a small blaster with blue eyes. “ _Sans, you need to take this._ ” He pressed the object into Sans’ left hand once he signed the words to him.  

“why?” Sans asked. He yelped when the skull sunk into his hand. “gaster, what’s happening?”  

Gaster just shook his head. He turned his hand over and pulled out a loose fragment of bone from his arm. If he gave it to Sans, the other monster might be able to see glimpses of the other timelines like Gaster could. It could help him, Gaster guessed. He had seen so many timelines that it was impossible to predict all outcomes, but he saw several distinct possibilities. The realities where the fallen child possessed Frisk and destroyed everything. If Sans knew about it as well, perhaps he could stop her. Gaster pressed the fragment into Sans’ hand alongside the blaster. Blue magic weaved its way up to Sans’ left eye. He screamed in pain, making Gaster wince. “ _Sans,_ ” Gaster signed. The timeline would rip away at any moment. He knew he would not last for long. “ _There are two humans out there who are very important._ ” 

“humans?” Sans asked through teeth gritted in pain. He pressed one hand to his eye. “what are you talking about?” 

“ _Please,_ ” Gaster signed. “ _If you ever meet a human called Moxie or a human called Frisk, you must care for them. Protect them for me. Promise me._ ”  

“gaster, i don’t understand,” Sans said. “why do you have to be so damn cryptic?”  

" _Please Sans,_ " Gaster signed. “ _Promise me. They are so very important to me._ ”  

"fine," Sans said. "fine, whatever, if i ever run into them i'll look out for 'em."  

" _Thank you._ " Gaster smiled as the world ripped away. 

“gaster!” Sans tried to grab Gaster’s hand, but everything faded away to black. “don’t go! gaster!”  

Standing in a room, Gaster glanced around the new point in time he found himself in. He walked over and found himself standing over a sleeping Moxie. However, when he went to touch her hand, his own hand passed right through. It was like he was a ghost. Gaster glanced around the room. Frisk was nowhere to be seen. Frowning, Gaster turned back to Moxie. The sorcerer did not seem to be sleeping well. She tossed and turned in her sleep and as she moved, Gaster saw a large gash stretching from her right shoulder down the length of her body. His eyes widened in horror. Moxie's eyes fluttered open and she glanced up, looking around the room. "Hello?" 

" _Moxie,_ " Gaster signed, kneeling next to the bed. " _Can you see me? I'm right here._ " He tried to touch her cheek, but his hand phased right through. Moxie looked around the room with a confused gaze. " _I'm here, my love._ " Trembling, Gaster reached out to her again. He still failed to touch her. She looked around the room once more before laying back down, wincing from pain.  

“Guess I’m imagining things.” Moxie raised her wrist and stared at the bracelet. “I miss you.” She hugged her wrist close to her body and closed her eyes. A few tears slipped down her cheeks. Gaster touched his own bracelet, tears spilling from his eyes as well. What had he done to become so cursed? They were so close. He was so close to her and they still could not touch. The scene ripped away and Gaster began to be thrown across timelines again. 


	10. Chapter 10

The long stairs up to the main castle felt treacherous to Moxie. She strode up them, listening to the hard clacks of her boot heels against the stone. The Council often ate dinner together in the main meeting room, which was in the highest tower of the castle. Moxie felt confident she would be able to find them there. As Moxie approached the room, she threw her hood back. Heart pounding in her chest, Moxie took a deep breath. What happened next would change the future forever. Her cloak fluttered around her ankles as she continued up, going higher and higher. It was her only chance to convince the Council. If they refused to break the Barrier and help the monsters, Moxie would have to take matters into her own hands. Once she reached the large wooden door, she threw it open. It slammed against the stone wall. Six faces stared back at Moxie in surprise: Chancellor, Cavalier, Paramour, Kismet, Gamut, and Boon.  

“Moxie?” Chancellor asked, rising to greet her. “Is everything alright?” 

 A delighted look lit up Paramour’s face. “Hello Moxie.” She stood and walked over to hug her, but Moxie sidestepped her to walk around to her seat at the table, ignoring the crestfallen look on Paramour's face. Moxie placed both hands on the back of the chair.  

“I have a proposal,” She said, struggling to keep her voice even.  

“What?” Cavalier asked, shooting Moxie an annoyed look. “We are in the middle of dinner. What could possibly be this important?”  

With a glare sent in Moxie’s direction, Kismet shook his head. “Moxie,” Kismet said as he stood. “Don’t-” 

“Sit down Kismet!” Moxie yelled at him. Startled, Kismet stared back and sunk back into his seat. 

“Moxie what’s wrong?” Paramour asked with a concerned look. She waltzed back over to her seat beside Moxie, bright blonde hair bouncing around her face as she walked. Everything about her spewed happiness. At the moment, it disgusted Moxie. “You’re upset.” Moxie glared over at the other woman. Paramour had never visited again after the day in the golden flower meadow. While she was right about Kismet, Moxie still resented her for it. She also hated that she never visited again.   

“Since I have been guarding the Barrier I have been in contact with a monster in the Underground,” Moxie said. She ignored the gasps from the group. “His name was Dr. W. D. Gaster.” Her hands tightened on the chair. “I learned a lot from him, like about how our entire history is based on lies. Monsters pose absolutely no threat to us!”  

“Moxie, what in the world are you talking about?” Chancellor said, face twisting into a scowl. “What has gotten into you?” 

“You are all liars!” Moxie exclaimed, unable to contain her anger any longer. “I can’t believe you would deny the blatant truth. Sorcerers were jealous. They hated how much better at magic monsters were. Their own fear held them back!” A burning feeling flared up in her. Her magic surged to life. Several glass windows shattered around the room.  

“Moxie calm down!” Gamut shouted.  

“And it’s your fault,” Moxie said as tears came to her eyes. “Your fault that-” She broke off and took a deep breath. “I propose that we break the Barrier and free the monsters. I propose we work to create a world where we can all live in peace and harmony.”  

The room fell silent. Moxie grasped the chair tight in her hands, staring at the bracelet around her wrist. “History says-” Boon began to say.  

“I thought you were clever, Boon,” Moxie said with a snarl. The young sorcerer flinched backward. He was still practically a child, barely even a teenager. “Our history is wrong. It’s a lie fabricated by all the winners of the war. Isn’t that how it works? Winners of the war write the history.” 

“Perhaps if you calmed down and explained a bit more,” Paramour began to say. 

“I said what needed to be said already!” Moxie snapped back. “I propose we break the Barrier. I propose we create peace between us and the monsters!”  

“All those in favor?” Chancellor asked, giving Moxie a cold stare. Only Moxie raised her hand. “All those against.” Four hands rose. Boon glanced at the others and then raised his hand as well. Paramour stared forward with pursed lips. Cavalier nudged her, but she shook her head. She refused to vote. “It fails to pass.” 

“No,” Moxie whispered, shaking. “No!”  

“Moxie please just calm down.” Paramour smiled. “Come on. It’s probably been stressful guarding the Barrier. Maybe it would be best if you stayed here for a night. Maybe you can tell us everything a bit more calmly. We can discuss it and revote once you tell us more.” She reached out a hand to touch Moxie’s shoulder and Moxie slapped her hand away. Shocked, Paramour clutched her hand to her chest. Cavalier rose to her feet and was about to yell at Moxie when her sister shook her head and held her back. 

“That monster has obviously brainwashed her,” Kismet said, rolling his eyes. 

“That monster has a name,” Moxie growled to him. “Gaster. That was his name. Dr. W. D. Gaster and because of all of you, he is dead. I loved him more than my own life and he is dead because of you!” Surprised, Paramour furrowed her brow and stepped forward again. “It’s all your fault! All of you!” Moxie used her magic to throw the table against the wall. The dinner dishes and glasses shattered, spilling food and wine all over the ground. All of the sorcerers leaped backward. Fear shone in all of their eyes. Moxie sent Chancellor a cold look. “You had a chance,” She said to him. “Remember that.” Then Moxie LOADED.  

Moxie had SAVED several hours earlier. All of the Council members were in the middle of their daily meeting before dinner. The rest of the town had been left unguarded. The sun descended toward the horizon as Moxie entered the town. The disappearing light left dark shadows cast over Alcastle. Moxie threw her hood up over her head and summoned a bow. Fire burned at the arrow's head with a blue and white flame. Without hesitation, Moxie raised the bow and fired several of the magic arrows. They hit buildings all around her and set them on fire. With a wave of her hand, Moxie caused the flames to spread. Chaos broke out in Alcastle. Without restraint, Moxie easily manipulated the fire to burn right at doors and windows, preventing any escape. She walked through the town with a cold look. As she fired several arrows at the main castle, other arrows intercepted them, destroying some of the magic before it could hit the castle. Arrows still slipped through and the castle lit up in flames. 

Paramour stood before the castle, clenching a bow in her hand. “What are you doing?” She asked with a horrified look. Moxie did not reply. She summoned a sword and charged at Paramour. “Moxie!” Paramour leaped out of the way. “Please! I don’t want to fight you.” 

“Then get out of my way,” Moxie said with an even tone. “You didn’t vote. You refused to.” Confused, Paramour tilted her head. Moxie's voice grew angry. “Was that just some attempt to appease me? To continue pretending you’re my friend?”  

“I am your friend. You’re the one who said you never wanted to speak with me again!” Paramour said, shaking her head. Moxie glared back at her. “Please, Moxie, stop this. LOAD and stop this madness. We can talk about this!" Paramour dropped her bow and it disappeared. 

“Forget it!” Moxie snapped. “None of you were ever my friends!” 

“Please,” Paramour said, stepping forward with an outstretched hand. “Moxie, listen to me. You are upset, but this won’t fix whatever you’re trying to fix.”  

Moxie raised her sword and charged at Paramour again. Paramour dodged but did not summon her own weapon again. “Why won’t you fight back you coward?”  

“I won’t hurt you,” Paramour said. She shook from fear but held her head high. “Let me help you Moxie. You are upset. No, you’re distraught. You aren’t thinking!”  

Moxie rushed at her again. Paramour tried to leap out of the way, but Moxie plunged the sword deep into her chest. Face to face with Paramour, Moxie saw the distressed look in her eyes. “You’re right. I am distraught.”   

“Moxie, why?” Paramour whispered in horror. Reaching out, Paramour grasped Moxie’s cloak. “Don’t do this. LOAD Moxie, please. Just…LOAD.” She coughed up blood and Moxie withdrew the sword, stepping backward. Her former friend fell to the ground in a broken heap. As blood pooled out around her body the tips of her long blonde hair were stained red. Her green SOUL appeared, floating to the ground. Moxie stared at it. She could take it and send it down into the Underground.   

A storm thundered to life overhead. It began to pour down rain. Moxie lifted a hand to feel the raindrops. Cold as ice, the raindrops stung as they hit her bare skin. The storm had been created in an attempt to quench the fires. Though the other sorcerers were not as powerful as Moxie. Nothing could put out the flames. Moxie had stopped holding back. Determination pulsed through her like a raging fire. She wiped off the bloody sword on Paramour’s cloak. As Moxie leaned down to pick up Paramour's SOUL, she heard a rush of arrows coming at her from behind. Moxie dodged and whirled to see Kismet standing behind her. “This is about those stupid monsters, isn’t it?” Kismet said. “You think you’re doing them a favor by killing your family?”  

“I gave you a chance!” Moxie yelled back. “I told everyone the truth and they still voted against it.”  

“You are deranged!” Kismet said and fired another volley of arrows at Moxie, who summoned a shield. She rushed forward, dancing around each one of Kismet’s attacks. He managed to block a killing blow with his bow. He leaped away and summoned a sword.  

“It’s all your fault!” Moxie slashed at him again. He barely managed to block her attack.  

“What has happened to you?” Kismet asked. “Being alone has driven you insane!” 

“The thing is,” Moxie said with a cold smile. “I wasn’t alone. Not until recently. I had never been more loved in my entire life!” She swung again and knocked Kismet’s sword away. He tried to summon another weapon or perform a spell but Moxie’s sword collided with his left leg before he could act. A huge streak of red spread out across the fabric of his pants. Kismet collapsed, screaming in pain. Grief had overcome any rational thoughts Moxie had left.  

“I thought you loved me Moxie!” Kismet yelled as he attempted to scramble backward.  

“I did,” Moxie snapped back. She advanced on him and slashed again, catching his arm. Blood spurted from the wound. “Though you never did!” 

“Of course I-” 

“Liar!” Moxie slashed again. Kismet moved and the sword tip cut his cheek. Droplets of blood flew through the air and a few landed back on Moxie’s face. “You never loved me! You never had a single kind word to say to me! I was a tool for your own success!” She slashed again, cutting a deep wound in Kismet’s shoulder. Blood poured out from all of his wounds and the rain washed it down into the dirt, staining the ground a dark red. “You wanted to be married to the leader of the Council! You wanted to have the most powerful sorcerer as your daughter!”  

“Daughter?” Kismet questioned with a surprised look.  

“Yeah, and you will never meet her,” Moxie snarled. “Because she is all I have left and there is no way in hell I’ll let you get anywhere near her!”  

“Moxie please!”  

“I don’t like being used Kismet,” Moxie said. “I don’t like being someone’s pawn like all of you used me as. That’s why he was so special to me. He meant it when he said he loved me. He meant every compliment he gave me! And you-you are the reason Gaster is dead!” This time Moxie slashed across Kismet’s face. She cut across both of his eyes, leaving a deep gash and rendering him blind. He screamed in agony. “You deserve every slash!” Moxie raised her sword to kill him. However, she faltered. What had she done? For a moment, clarity returned to Moxie. She stared around her former home. People were on fire. Buildings collapsed. Paramour’s dead body laid in the background and Kismet quivered before her. Would Gaster have wanted that? Trembling, Moxie dropped her sword. “What have I done?” Moxie wondered.  

“Moxie!” Chancellor yelled. He stood behind her with a large sword. “Stop this! LOAD and spare the others.”  

“You know,” Moxie said. “You know and you’ll come after me if I do. You wouldn’t just let me get away with this.” Distraught laughter erupted from her. She pulled the silver brooch from her cloak and threw it into the mud. “Stay away from Ebott,” Moxie said as she picked up her sword again. “And maybe I won’t kill whoever is left.”  

Chancellor charged at her. Their swords clashed together. Moxie summoned a shield to block the attack, but Chancellor broke it. Moxie moved to block his next attack with her sword. Metal clanged against metal. "Would your monster friend really have approved of this?" Chancellor hissed at her. "I thought you said the monsters were 'absolutely no threat?' " Moxie slashed at him, managing to cut a shallow gash across his left arm.  

"Shut up!" Moxie yelled.  

"You are letting your grief control you!" The swords clanged as they bashed together. Chancellor attempted to strike Moxie with a blast of fire magic, but she dodged away. "This is why sorcerers have been trained to be cautious! To be careful with their magic!" He swung again at her and cut a small wound across her cheek. "So they do not lose their mind and let their power run wild!" Another clang rang out and Moxie faltered, losing her defensive stance. Chancellor rushed forward and swung again. His sword slashed a gaping cut down her right side, spreading from her shoulder to her hip. Twisting, he slashed across her arm as well. She screamed in pain and leaped away, dropping her sword. Using her magic, she threw Chancellor backward into a building. It collapsed on him. Moxie did not take any time to wonder if he had survived. She hurried away, teleporting back to Ebott. Gasping, Moxie leaned against a tree and slid to the ground by her tent.  

“I’m a demon,” She whispered, leaning back. She raised her hands to see they were covered in Kismet and Paramour’s blood as well as her own. “Oh god. What have I done?” Gasping for breath, Moxie stared up at the stars. "Was it worth it?" 

Earlier that evening she had taken Frisk to the orphanage in Ebott. All she had to was watch over her daughter until she gained full control over the SAVE and LOAD power. Without Gaster, Moxie feared sending Frisk into the Underground until her magic had fully matured. At that point, Moxie would clear away the cave in she had caused several years earlier and Frisk could enter the Underground. Then, she would save all of the monsters contained there. Moxie pulled off her cloak and began to attempt to bandage her extensive wounds. She had seen the fear in Chancellor's eyes. The Council might investigate the Barrier themselves. Moxie sighed, holding her cloak to the wound. Staring out at the forest and knowing that Frisk was safe, filled Moxie with determination. She SAVED. She couldn’t ever go back.


	11. Chapter 11

The machine was their last hope. Gaster had been split across time and space. If they could locate the pieces of him and somehow force him back together they would be able to save him. At least they already knew where one piece was. As Sans worked on the machine, he caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection. The pulsing, blue cracks around his eye had begun to fade along with the pain from the last failed experiment.  

“Do you really think this will work?” Alphys sounded nervous. She had not spent much time working on the machine. It was Sans’ project. While Alphys worked on her robot with a SOUL to try to win the spot of the Royal Scientist, Sans focused on saving Gaster. He had no interest in becoming the next Royal Scientist. He just wanted Gaster back. They had to get him back.  

“it has to work,” Sans said.  

The machine analyzed alternate timelines. It examined each monster’s SOUL and located their possible futures. Sans pulled the switch and turned it on. Roaring to life, the machine’s screen lit up. Strings of code flickered across the screen as the machine worked to analyze the timelines. Then, an image appeared. Both Sans and Alphys stared at it in shock. Jagged lines representing Gaster leapt everywhere, unable to form a coherent sequence. Some of the lines traced alongside Sans’ line since the DT infuser had transferred some of Gaster’s magic to Sans. “So, what do we do?” Alphys said, worried.  

“welp.” Sans’ shoulders slumped. “looks like there’s nothing we can do.” Alphys frowned and messed with some controls. Gaster’s line disappeared. Without the mess of lines, they could see something much more disturbing.  

“It kind of looks like the timelines jump,” Alphys said, gesturing across the screen. “Look, everyone jumps all around at a couple of points. There are some places where we die and others where we don’t. It all starts not too long from now.” Trailing a hand across the screen, Alphys said, “Then it gets way worse! The timelines start to jump even more!” As she ran her hand across the screen, Alphys paused. All of the timelines stopped at the edge of the screen and all that was left was darkness. "Then, it ends. Everything ends." 

“the hell does this mean?” Sans said. “where does this anomaly come from?” Frowning, Sans glanced at a flashdrive containing data from the DT detector. He snatched it up and plugged it in. “maybe, this has something to do with that determination peak?”  

The apparent cause of the second mess of timelines corresponded with the huge determination peak from beyond the Barrier. Both Sans and Alphys exchanged a worried look. They had much larger problems than Gaster’s death. “What do we do?” Alphys said. Sans clenched his hand.  

“what can we do against something that powerful?” Sans shook his head. “we’re dealing with things way above our heads alphys. we need to stop working with determination.”  

“But what about the Barrier?”  

“who cares?” Sans turned and walked away, shoving his hands in his pockets. “we lost gaster. nearly lost me too. now we find out that it doesn’t even matter. everything just ends.” 

“But maybe there’s still a chance!” Alphys stared at the screen with a worried look. “If we keep investigating determination, maybe if we try to break the Barrier with it or maybe we can stop all this from happening. We need to-” 

“do what you want alphys. i won’t be apart of it.”  

“But Sans-” 

“i’m sure your metal can will impress asgore. you won’t have any problem becoming the royal scientist.” 

“What? My robot isn’t anything compared to this!” Alphys gestured to the machine. “You-You built this all by yourself! You managed to find a way to analyze alternate timelines! All I'm doing is building a dumb robot! I don’t deserve to be the Royal Scientist! You do! You always have Sans! That’s what Dr. Gaster would have wanted!”  

“Well Gaster’s dead.” Sans’ pupils disappeared as he looked back at Alphys. “and i’m done with this.” He pulled off his lab coat and tossed it to the ground. Alphys watched with a horrified look. The plastic badge clicked as it hit the ground. “see ya alphys.” 

Unable to speak, Alphys watched with tears in her eyes as Sans left the lab. He didn’t even look back. She walked over and picked up his lab coat, folding it neatly before tucking it into a drawer. She turned back to the machine Sans had built and turned it off. Sucking in a pained breath, Alphys turned and headed back to work on completing her robot. Once she proved herself, she could go back to working on breaking the Barrier. The least she could do was try to get everyone out. She just needed to make one more SOUL strong enough to free them all.  

Once the Council members recovered from Moxie’s attack on Alcastle, they began to try to hunt her down. For years she always managed to stay ahead of them even without using her SAVE and LOAD magic. She knew it was because they were also trying to locate Frisk. As Moxie stopped by Ebott to check on Frisk, she ensured all of the protection spells were still in place. As long of Frisk stayed near the mountain, the Council members could not use magic to locate her. It did not matter much since only Kismet cared a lot about the search. The other Council members were more concerned with capturing and executing Moxie. With a sigh, Moxie teleported away from Ebott again, choosing to return to a far off stretch of mountains on the opposite side of the country. She walked under the trees before stopping near a river and sitting down to rest.  

“I can’t do this forever,” Moxie said aloud, leaning her head back against the tree. She flexed her right hand staring at it with a sad look. Chancellor’s attack had rendered her hand stiff and barely responsive. Light filtered down through the leaves, casting shadows across Moxie. She sighed and pulled out the picture from her lab coat. Staring at the smiling faces of Gaster, Alphys, and Sans, she wondered how the two other monsters were doing after Gaster’s death. She still had the phone and theoretically, they might discover Gaster’s computer and could call it eventually. Maybe she could continue to help them with attempts to break the Barrier. With a sigh, Moxie shook her head. They probably wouldn’t trust her and she had to keep running just to keep ahead of the Council. She had no time to sit and speak with them at lengths about determination or SOULs. “This is too hard.”  

Standing up, Moxie walked over to the river. She knelt there and splashed cool mountain water on her face. Nearby, two children played near the river, skipping stones. “I bet I can get it further!” One of them said.  

“No way!” The other laughed, splashing the stone across the river. Moxie watched them with an amused look. She used to be a stone skipping champion. Though she won many of the competitions by SAVING and LOADING, which Chancellor forced her to stop doing once he found out about it.  

“Look how far it went!” The rock skipped all the way to the other side of the river. “Beat that Paramour!” 

Startled, Moxie blinked and shook her head. She was hearing things. Glancing over at the children again, Moxie watched as they began to splash around in the river. The current flowed fast, but they seemed unconcerned. One of the children, the little blonde girl whose name Moxie had misheard, leaned further over the river. Then, she slipped.  

With a scream, the little girl toppled into the current. “No!” The other girl shrieked and tried to grab her friends’ arm. Moxie leapt to her feet and raced over. To her horror, she saw blood staining the river red. Stretching her arms out, Moxie stopped the river’s flow. Without the strong current, the little girl’s body floated to the top. Moxie grabbed her arm and pulled her from the river, releasing her hold on the current. A long gash stretched across her forehead and she choked on water.  

“It’s okay,” Moxie said, ripping off her cloak. She tore it into shreds and wrapped one long piece around the girl’s wound. “Don’t worry.” Her breath hitched and Moxie stared in horror as her breathing stopped. The blood from the wound stained her blonde hair red. “No,” Moxie whispered, seeing the image of Paramour’s dead body back in Alcastle. “No, no. Come on. Hold on!”  

“Don’t die!” The other little girl had tears streaming down her face. “I’m sorry I beat you in the rock skipping contest. Please don’t die!”  

Moxie closed her eyes, feeling hot tears slide down her cheeks. "No," She whispered. "I'm sorry. I should have been faster." It had been a long time since Moxie had used her SAVE and LOAD power. She SAVED often, but never went back to them. Her last SAVE was only a few weeks earlier. She could access it and rescue the little girl in time. The child didn't deserve to die. Holding her breath, Moxie pushed at the magic to LOAD. Nothing happened. She could still hear the girl crying. Frowning, Moxie tried to LOAD again. She couldn't. No matter how hard she pushed, she couldn't access her LOAD. Out there, someone else had more determination than her and had gained the ability to SAVE and LOAD. A cold chill ran down Moxie's spine. It couldn't have been Frisk. She was only four years old. She wouldn't gain her power for several more years. Had there been another child with stronger determination? 

So far the few years of research with determination had not gone well. Alphys stared at the flower with an annoyed look. She could have sworn she heard it laughing. The creepy face stared back at her and blinked. "Can you talk?" She asked. “Hello, my name is Dr. Alphys. What’s yours?” The flower said nothing. Sighing, Alphys turned and paced back to the bedrooms. After checking up on the monsters one last time she could send them home. So far they seemed to be healthy. The determination managed to bring them back to life. While she failed to create a SOUL strong enough to break the Barrier, at least she had helped some monsters out. A small smile crept to her face. She still had the flower as well. There was still hope. As the door slid open, Alphys said, "Hey everyone, lets-" She broke off and gasped in horror. "No! NO!" 

Where the previously healthy monsters had been there were blobs of white. The monsters Alphys had brought back to life had melted and fused together. "Sn...o...wy," One of the blobs groaned. It looked to be Snowdrake's mother fused with the bodies of several Vegetoids. Alphys cautiously approached.  

"What happened?" She turned and stared around the group of fused monsters. Their bodies had been malformed giving them disgusting odd shapes. "Oh my god, what have I done?" One of the amalgates approached Alphys. It seemed to be a fusion of many of the dog monsters. Whining, it rubbed its head against her arm. Alphys flinched back and the dog amalgate lowered its head and whined again. Alphys sighed and scratched it behind its ears. "I'm so sorry." Another amalgamate approached and pecked at Alphys. It spoke, but all of its words were complete nonsense. "No one can know about this. I'm sorry, you-you guys can't go home after all." All of the amalgates looked crestfallen. "But don't worry! I'll take good care of you. I have to, this is all my fault."   

Leaning back in his chair, Sans stared up at the cavern ceiling. The magma in Hotland created enough light to show it in its full glory. Huge stalagmites covered it. Sans wondered if any of them had ever fallen. A strong earthquake could break one free. He sighed and closed his eyes. They would be trapped there forever, at least until the entire world ended. Hopefully, the amalgates wouldn't decide to fall and crush them. "He-Hey Sans." Jumping, Sans opened his eyes and glanced over to see Alphys standing before his sentry station. "What's up?"  

"stalagmites."  

Confused, Alphys frowned and then glanced upward. "Oh, yeah. Heh, that's funny." She shuffled her feet. "You live in Snowdin right? There's lots of dogs that live there too. Uh, do you know where to get any dog food?"  

Sans stared at her. "dog food?" 

Alphys smiled, clenching her hands together in front of her. "Uh yeah, I wanted to uh, maybe run some tests and uh-uh-" She began to shake as she spoke. 

"i can get some for you," Sans said. "they sell it in these huge bags pretty cheap. i'll bring it by the lab later." Alphys looked relieved. She loosened up, letting her shoulders sag slightly. Sans had not seen her since he left the lab almost three years earlier. He had refused to continue working with determination. Dark circles had formed under Alphys' eyes. She fidgeted as she spoke, glancing around as other monsters passed by. "something wrong?"  

"No!" Alphys said, shaking her head. "I-I just uh I left something running back in the lab, I should probably head back. Uh, it was nice to see you again Sans." Rushing off, Alphys did not glance back. Sans watched her leave with narrowed eyes. Something was wrong. While they had not parted on good terms, Sans would have hoped that Alphys still trusted him. Back when they were both assistants to Gaster, she told him everything. She admitted her weaknesses to him. She revealed her darkest fears and secrets. He had learned how to tell when she was hiding something. 

Alphys ran back to the lab. As soon as she was inside, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, breathing heavily. Sans knew. Sans knew something was wrong. She shouldn't have ever gone and asked him for help. Though Alphys couldn't go to Snowdin either. All of Endogeny's family members would be there. They would ask her questions she couldn’t answer. She sighed and walked over to the elevator, riding it down to the rest of the lab. She checked on the amalgates first. They all seemed fine and were still fused together. Sighing again and slumping her shoulders, she walked over where the flower was kept.  

The pot that once contained the flower had been knocked over. Confused, Alphys searched the lab, but she couldn't find the golden flower. With a sad sigh, Alphys sat down on the ground. Where had it gone? Her phone began to ring. Startled, Alphys glanced down at it. Asgore was calling her. Alphys dropped her phone and kicked it away. She couldn't tell him the truth. She couldn't tell him what she had done. The phone eventually stopped ringing and then it went to voicemail. Unsure, Alphys grabbed the phone again and listened to the message. 

"Dr. Alphys," Asgore's voice shook as he spoke. "That flower you injected with determination. The one in the garden. It returned, well he returned." Asgore's voice was full of emotion. "Asriel returned." Alphys felt cold. "When he died his dust scattered across the garden and that flower grew. It was him! You brought him back Alphys. Thank you." The message ended and Alphys trembled, holding the phone tight in her hands. 

Angry and alone, Moxie paced in her hotel room. Without her SAVE and LOAD ability she felt useless. She couldn’t even save a little girl. During the years following the attack on Alcastle, Moxie had begun to fell more and more guilty. The other sorcerers, Paramour, and Kismet’s screams haunted her nightmares. She fell back onto her bed, rubbing at her bracelet until her thumb burned. Sighing, Moxie rolled over. “I should have RESET when I had the chance,” She whispered. “I need you Gaster. I’m going crazy without you.” One of the windows swung open from a gust of wind. The drapes swirled in the wind. “It’s one thing to never know love, but then its another to finally be loved after so long and then just lose it.” Moxie closed her eyes as tears began to drip down her face.  

A familiar ring startled Moxie. She pulled out the videophone and stared at in shock. Reaching out, Moxie touched the screen and answered the call. For a moment all she could she was black. Then, white text flickered across the screen. She squinted at the strange characters. It took her a second to remember how to translate them. “ _I miss you._ ”  

“Gaster?” Moxie questioned, startled.  

The text changed and another line ran across. “ _Dark. It’s so dark here. Dark everywhere. Darker. Darker. Darker_.”  

Shaking, Moxie raised a hand to her mouth. Alphys had said Gaster’s machine ripped him apart. Yet, some part of him was still out there. “I love you.” 

The text flickered and changed. “ _I know. I know my love._ ” Before Moxie could say anything, the text rippled and changed again. “ _Can’t stay for long. Took too much power to come._ ” The text rapidly moved across the screen. “ _I met Frisk. She holds a part of me now. Her and Sans. Pieces of me are out there. Broken. Broken apart._ ”  

“I’m sorry,” Moxie whispered. “I don’t get what you’re trying to tell me.”  

The text flickered. “ _Goodbye Moxie._ ”  

“No!” The screen turned off. Moxie stared at it in shock. How had Gaster met Frisk? She was still just baby. Whatever happened to him had been horrible. Moxie clutched the phone to her chest and sobbed. She wanted to die, but she needed to make sure Frisk made it to the Underground. She needed to watch over her daughter. She needed to find out who had gained the SAVE and LOAD powers. She had so much she still had to do. In order to do that, she had to live. Wiping away her tears, Moxie stood. She walked over to the window and leaned out, staring up at the stars. “I promise that we’ll fulfill your wish Gaster. I promise I’ll make sure Frisk can break the Barrier.” Clenching her hand into a fist, Moxie forced herself to smile. “I’ll live on for you.”  


	12. Chapter 12

A shadow caught Frisk’s attention. She thought she saw someone moving in the forest. Frowning, Frisk glanced over at the school group. They had all come out to explore the forest for a science class. Frisk figure they wouldn’t notice if she was gone for a few moments. She quickly hurried over to follow the shadow.  

“Hello?” Frisk called out. “Who are you?” She followed the fluttering purple cloak that caught her attention every now and then. Something felt strange, but she pushed the feeling away, favoring curiosity instead. “Hello?”  

Soon the trees disappeared and opened into a clearing. A river flowed nearby. Smiling, Frisk ran over and ran her hand through the water. She glanced around again, looking for the strange shadowed figure. “This way Frisk,” The voice called out.  

“Huh?” Frisk turned toward the direction of the voice. “Who’s there? How do you know my name?” Using several rocks as platforms, Frisk hopped across the river and continued to hurry over to find the voice.  

“Don’t be scared,” The voice said. Frisk saw a cloaked figure standing ahead of her. The hood hid the woman’s face.  

“Who are you?” Frisk asked.  

The woman turned and walked away, entering a cave. The dark purple cloak fluttered around her. Frisk quickly followed. She couldn’t see anything and blindly felt around. As she walked, she heard footsteps ahead of her. Frisk ran, trying to catch up to the woman. Then she felt one of her feet disappear from solid ground. Frisk shrieked as she fell down into the hole. 

Moxie stood at the entrance to the Underground, staring down. “You can do it, Frisk,” She whispered. “You’re so determined. I know you can.” 


End file.
